Official Game Equipment

Bat: Official Yellow Wiffleball Bat

Ball: Easton Poly-Molded Training Balls

Strike Zone: Lawn Chair

Game Format
1.01 - Regulation for each game is 5 innings.
1.02 - There is no time limit for a game.
1.03 - 2 outs per Inning.
1.04 - 5 balls for a walk, or 2 HBP in the same at bat.
1.05 - 3 strikes for an out.
1.06 - Only 2 players are allowed in field (Pitcher and Fielder).
1.07 - A team must have at least 2 players to play a game.



Ground Rules
2.01 - A strike is when a pitched ball makes contact with the strike board on a fly. The strike board will measure 20” wide by 32” tall, and will be 12”off the ground.

2.02 - Any ground ball cleanly fielded on the infield is an out. (No part of body can be in contact with outfield or grass before possession is established)
2.03 - Any fly ball caught is an out if the fielder establishes BOTH of his feet apart from the Home Run Area upon catching the ball.
2.04 - A "Single" is when a batted ball lands in the infield and is not fielded for an out.
2.05 - A "Double" is when a batted ball lands in the Double Area on a fly, or is dropped by a fielder and lands in the Double Area.
2.06 - A "Triple" is when a batted ball lands in the Triple Area on a fly, or is dropped by a fielder and lands in the Triple Area.
2.07 - A "Home Run" is when a batted ball lands in the Home Run Area, or is touched by a fielder who is making contact with the Home Run Area while making contact with the ball.
2.08 - If a fielder who drops a batted ball has his feet in two different areas at the time of making contact with the ball, the hit will be ruled accordingly based on whichever foot is in a larger area.
2.09 - Controversial check swings are ruled balls.
2.10 - A ball that hits the tree TRUNK on a fly is a foul ball, and ruled dead.
2.11 - A ball that enters the tree in foul territory is a live ball, but cannot be ruled fair even if it lands in fair territory.
2.12 - A ball that enters the tree in fair territory is a live ball, and is ruled accordingly wherever it lands.
2.13 - Any ball caught on a fly out of the tree is an out.
2.14 - A fair fly ball that gets caught in the tree is a ground ruled double.
2.15 - Any batted ball that makes contact with the playing surface in foul territory is immediately ruled foul and dead.
2.16 - "Kubacki Wedge Rule" - If a ground ball on the infield is "wedged" or "pushed" into the ground in order for the fielder to establish possession, it is still an out as long as the player cleanly lifts the ball from the ground
2.17 - For a starting pitcher to record a win, he must pitch at least three innings, leave with the lead, and his team must win the game without any lead changes.
2.18 - For a reliever to record a win, he must record at least one out in the game while his team takes the lead, and his team must win the game without any lead changes.
2.19 - If a starting pitcher pitches less than three innings, but his team wins by slaughter rule before he was given the opportunity to pitch three innings, he still records the win.
2.20 - If a starting pitcher goes less than three innings, and his team takes the lead while he is in the game, and the game concludes without any lead changes, the first pitcher to relieve the starter is the winning pitcher.
2.21 - A pitcher is eligible for a save opportunity if he enters the game with the tying run two or less hitters away from the current hitter.
2.22 - If a pitcher can receive both a win and a save, he will be awarded the win, but not the save.
2.23 - A pitcher is not allowed to re-enter in the same inning.
2.24 - Any ground ball that bounces and hits either foul pole is ruled fair. (even if the spot where the ball hits the pole is outside of the chalk line)
2.25 - Any pitch that exceeds the height of the basketball backboards will be ruled a ball. If a pitcher challenges this rule, the judgement will be made by league administration.
2.26 - Any batted ball that splits into two or more pieces in ruled foul. Either piece cannot be caught for an out.
2.27 - Any batted ball in the infield that is dented and comes to a complete stop in fair territory before it is fielded is ruled a single.
2.28 - A fly ball that lands in fair territory is ruled a base hit (Fielders are not allowed fly balls to drop and then spin back into foul territory, hoping for foul balls)

2.29 - Pitchers have the freedom to place the pitcher’s bucket wherever they choose, as long as the bucket is placed within a reasonable distance behind the pitcher’s plate.

2.30 - Any batted ball that makes contact with the pitcher's bucket is immediately ruled a single.

2:31 - If a batter receives a pitch while using a bat with more than one layer of tape around the barrel, and is caught doing  so by a member of the opposing team or league administration, the batter is ruled out.



Substitutions
3.01 - No pitcher can record more than six outs within innings 1-5 if he has allowed a base hit. There are no pitching limits beyond the 5th inning, should a game enter extra innings.

3.02 - Once a pitcher is removed from his position, he cannot re-enter at the pitcher position until extra innings.
3.03 - A team is allowed a maximum of four players in the batting order. With the permission of the opposing manager, a team may have up to 6 players in the batting order.

Slaughter

4.01 - Slaughter Rules by Inning:
1st - 20
2nd - 15
3rd - 10
4th - 10 



Realism and Legitimacy
5.01 - "Infield Fly Rule" - Any ball that clears the height of the top of the backboards on the basketball rims and lands even with or beyond the foul poles is deemed a fly ball, and therefore, must be caught on a fly for an out to be awarded. This rule has two purposes - 1. To prevent fielders from willingly letting popups drop so they can pick up the ball on the bounce for an easier play, and 2. To award the batter with a base hit since his fly ball was able to land safely.



Rosters
6.01 - Team roster sizes must have no less than 3 players and no more than 6 players.
6.02 - Team rosters must remain constant for the rest of the season beginning July 10th.


Trading
7.01 - No trades can be made in the period between the Trade Deadline and the last game of the World Series.
7.02 - If a manager wishes to be traded, he must let remaining players on his team decide if the trade will be made or not. A new team manager will then be decided upon by league administration.
7.03 - All trades must be approved by league administration.



Free Agency
8.01 - After a team releases a player, he is placed on the waiver wire. The team with the lowest winning percentage has the first rights to claim that player, and so on. The team that released the player cannot re-sign him until they have played at least four games without him.
8.02 - All free agent signings must be approved by league administration.
8.03 - Waiver wire order is reset every four games.


Forfeits
9.01 - If one does not have at least two players present for a game, and the other team has at least two players present, the game is considered a forfeit. Wins and losses will be distributed to each team accordingly.

9.02 - If neither team has at least two players present for a game, the game will be removed from the schedule and neither team will receive a loss. Makeup games will be scheduled if necessary.

Manager Responsibilities
10.01 - Free Agency
10.02 - Trading
10.03 - Drafting
10.04 - In-game decisions



Post-Season Play
11.01 - Teams with the four best regular season winning percentages are eligible for post-season play.
11.02 - Seeding will be determined in the following order: 1. Regular season winning percentage, 2. Head-to-Head winning percentage, 3. One-game playoff.


Playoff Format
12.01 - The playoffs will have 2 rounds
12.02 - In the 1st round, the 1st seed will play the 4th seed in a best-of-five series and the 2nd seed will play the 3rd seed in a best-of-five series. The winner of each series will advance to the 2nd round.

12.03 - The 2nd round (World Series) will be a best-of-seven format.



Playoff Series Format
13.01 - Best of 5 - 2,2,1
13.02 - Best of 7 - 2,3,2



Umpiring
14.01 - The judgement of a fielder's foot placement will be decided by either fielder. If the offensive team protests the call, a decision will be made by a present member/members of league administration who is not playing in the game.
14.02 - The judgement of where a ball lands in the outfield will be decided by either fielder. If the offensive team protests the call, a decision will be made by a present member/members of league administration who is not playing in the game.
14.03 - All other judgements/decisions/calls, listed or not, will be made by a present member/members of league administration who is not playing in the game.

Challenges

15.01 - Each manager has the option to challenge one judgment call per game that is being video recorded. Should a manager choose to challenge a call, a present member/members of league administration will review the play.

15.02 - The hierarchy for disputed calls is as follows. The commissioner has the final say-so on all disputed calls and replay reviews.

1 - Media Coordinator

2 - Commissioner

3 - Manager/s who are present but whose team/s are not playing

4 - Re-do the play

Award Formats
16.01 - All awards will be decided by Head Media Coordinator, Tyler Walk.


All-Star Game
17.01 - Two teams of three players will play in the All-Star Game.
17.02 - One Team will have the players who received the 1st, 4th, and 5th most manager votes. The other team will have the players who received the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th most manager votes.
17.02 - The #1 and #2 vote-getters will manage their respective teams.
17.03 - Same rules apply as every other GBL game.
17.04 - If a player cannot participate in the game, the #7 vote-getter will be asked to fill in, and so on.



Home Run Derby
18.01 - The Home Run Derby contestants will be the top six statistical leaders in home runs per game, as long as they have played in at least half of their team's games.
18.02 - The Home Run Derby will have 2 rounds. In the 1st round, all six players will hit. In the 2nd round, the top three scorers from the 1st round will hit.

18.03 - Each hitter will receive 10 outs every round.
18.04 - An out is any swing where a home run is not hit.
18.05 - If a player cannot participate in the derby, the #7 home run per game leader will be asked to fill in, and so on.


Offseason
19.01 - If a player does not re-sign with his team, and wishes to play in the upcoming season, he must enter the draft.
19.02 - Incoming players have the option of signing with their team of choice, or entering the draft.

Draft
20.01 - The draft consists of players who do not wish to return to their own team, and all incoming players.

20.02 - Drafting order is determined by teams' playoff finishes, and then by regular season winning percentages.
20.03 - Number of rounds in the draft will be determined by how many players are in the player pool.
20.04 - All undrafted players become free agents, and are eligible to be signed by any team.


Team Commitments
21.01 - Once a players plays in his first game of a particular season, he is then committed to that team for the rest of that season unless he is traded or released.
21.02 - If a player wishes to change teams at the end of a season, he may declare to enter the draft.

Franchise Tag

22.01 - A manager has the right to permit one of his players from entering the draft by placing a Franchise Tag on him.

22.02 - A manager may not use more than one Franchise Tag per season

22.03 - A manager may not use a Franchise Tag on a player more than once during that player's current tenure with the team.

Playoff Eligibility

23.01 - To be eligible for post-season play, a player must have played in at least one regular season game.