Midget (St. Thomas Minor Baseball)

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Midget Specific Rules

Prohibition on the Use of Tobacco Products, Alcohol and Drugs

  • Players, coaches and umpires in uniform must refrain from using any tobacco products during all games.
  • Players, coaches and umpires in uniform must not be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
  • Penalty for a) and b) will be immediate ejection for players or coaches and may result in loss of accreditation for umpires.

Uniforms/Equipment

In all games in all OBA series, all team personnel, including the manager and coaches, must be in complete baseball uniform.

Note: Complete baseball uniform shall consist of:

- corresponding tops or jerseys (with proper numbers),

- corresponding (similar) baseball caps

- baseball pants (no shorts)

- corresponding stirrup or baseball socks.

Provided the teams are completely uniformed the uniformity as laid down by the Official Playing Rules of Baseball will be disregarded and no protest will be considered by the OBA after the game has been played.

All catchers are required to wear a mask with throat protector, helmet, chest protector, shin guards, cup and a cup‑type supporter.

Any team member serving as a catcher to warm up a pitcher shall wear a mask with throat protector.

For all Minor Midget and Midget play, only wood bats (including composite wood bats) shall be permitted.

Pitchers will be allowed to wear Medic-Alert bracelets on the wrist of their pitching arm if such bracelets are locked or cannot be transferred to their non‑pitching wrist.

There is no visible jewellery allowed. Penalty – the jewellery will be removed.

Championships:

All Midget OBA Play-offs will be scheduled 1 week prior to Labour Day week-end. All Minor Midget OBA Play-offs will be scheduled for the Labour Day week-end.

Coaches & Managers:

As per the Official Rules of Baseball, in Minor Midget and Midget, any team member in uniform may act as a base coach. Where a player in Minor Midget or Midget is acting as a base coach, the player must wear a helmet.

At Minor Midget and Midget, a team may use either an EP as in P2-8 d) or a designated hitter as in P2-8 f), but the team may not use both an EP and a designated hitter in the same game. For clarity, a team may also choose not to use either an EP or a designated hitter.

Line Up Rules:

A designated hitter may be used for a pitcher at Minor Midget and Midget as per the Official Rules of Baseball 6:10(b).

Substitutions:

In Minor Midget and Midget ball any starting player may be substituted for and returned to the game, one time only.

He/she must return to his/her original place in the batting order. Any further substitutions do not jeopardize the right of re-entry for the original/starting player. Any starting player returned to the game may pitch if he/she has not previously assumed that position. A pinch runner may be inserted for a pitcher, who was listed in the starting batting order, and the pitcher may return to pitch under this re-entry rule only if the player is re-entered immediately as a pitcher when his/her team takes the field defensively.

In Minor Midget, and Midget ball in the event that all players have entered the game and an injury(s) occurs, the opposing manager shall have the right of selecting any remaining player(s) as the replacement.

Note: This rule does not apply to ejections from a game.

Pitching Rules:

At Minor Midget and Midget, a second trip by a manager/coach to the same pitcher in the same inning shall result in the pitcher’s automatic removal from the pitching position. The pitcher, once removed after the 2nd trip in an inning, may continue in the game at another position but shall not be permitted to return to pitch in that game.

Pitch Count Limitations

A pitcher may not pitch more than the following limits in a calendar day. If the limit is reached while facing a batter, the pitcher may pitch to the earlier of: (i) the completion of that batter or (ii) the end of the inning.

Minor and Major Midget 100 pitches

If a pitcher throws more than the following limits in a calendar day he/she cannot pitch the next day – the player must have 2 nights rest.

Minor and Major Midget 75 pitches

Where a team has multiple games on the same day, if a pitcher throws more than the following limits during a game or in combination of one or more games, the pitcher may not pitch again in a subsequent game that day:

Minor and Major Midget 75 pitches

If a balk is called but the pitcher throws the ball it will count as a pitch thrown, even if it is not counted as a pitch for ball/strike purposes.

If the limit is reached while facing a batter, the pitcher may pitch to the earlier of (i) the completion of that batter, or (ii) the end of the inning.

Illegal pitching penalty: where a player throws more pitches than is permitted under f); or pitches without the rest required by P2.10 g); or pitches on 3 consecutive days in violation of n); or pitches and catches in the same game in violation of o), the penalty shall be forfeiture by the player’s team. A second violation by a team will result in the manager/head coach’s indefinite suspension.

At Minor Midget, Midget, pitchers may not pitch on 3 consecutive calendar days unless:

  1. the pitcher threw 30 pitches or less on each of the first two days.
  2. the maximum number of pitches which may be thrown on the third day is 50.

OBA Playoffs:

OBA Playoff tournaments will be comprised of 1 team from each affiliated association which has classified a team for such tournament, plus a host team, to a maximum of 12 teams.