Rules

These are the rules every manager and player agrees to when the season starts.

• Games are played at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM. A team that cannot field eight players twenty minutes after game time forfeits.
• Slow pitch. The pitch must arc between 6 and 12 feet. A 12-inch ball is used in every game.
• A game lasts seven innings or 75 minutes, whichever comes first. No new inning starts after 75 minutes.
• A team that leads by 15 or more runs after five innings wins on the run rule.
• Teams bat everyone present. Free substitution in the field; a player who leaves cannot return to the batting order.
• Courtesy runners are allowed for any player with an injury or who asks.

Teams are ranked by winning percentage within their division. Each division also has its own rules page, which says where it differs from these. A tie is broken by the record between the tied teams, then run differential, then alphabetically. A rainout is replayed on the makeup Saturday.

• Umpires' calls are final. Questions go through the manager after the game.
• No metal spikes. Bats must carry a current approval stamp.
• Everyone shakes hands afterward. That is the most important rule.