Tournament Rules

Subject to the following exceptions, only Baseball Ontario Rep Division Playing Rules will be used during the course of this tournament.
 
The 2018 approved OBA Rookie Ball playing rules will apply (rules can be found on the OBA website www.baseballontario.com  click on ‘About Us’, then 'Constitution & Playing Rules', then ‘2017 Constitution’, Rookie Ball rules are on pages 116-119 (hard copy), pages 120-124 (website), section Q2.
 
The Official Rules of Baseball shall govern all games except as provided in Section Q2 above and Section P2 ‘Special Playing Rules’ found on pages 154-156 for the hardcopy version.

1. O.B.A. score sheets and lineup cards must be used.  HOME team will be determined by a toss of a coin where the team travelling the furthest makes the call.  The HOME team will be responsible for the official score sheet.  Line up cards should be exchanged 10 minutes before the official start time.
2. In the event of inclement weather and/or other unforeseen delays, the tournament schedule may be revised at the Tournament Convenor’s discretion. All teams will be notified via their mobile contact information provided at the time of registration.
3. Games will be 1 hour and 45 minutes in length, at minimum, from the time of the first pitch. No new inning to begin after this point. The home plate umpire will notify both teams and the official scorekeeper of the time of the first pitch. Semi-final and Final round playoff games will be 7 innings in length with NO time limit. All Rookie Ball baseball games shall be 7 innings or until a winner is declared. 5 innings shall constitute an official game except that a winner is declared and the game declared official at any point that the opposing team is unable to win or tie the game.
4. Tie games will be allowed to stand in pool play. There will be NO extra innings in pool play.
5. There will be NO pre-game warm-ups on ANY infield before ANY game.
6. In all OBA games, an 18 run mercy rule will apply after 3 innings or 15 runs after 4 innings.  A 10 run mercy rule will also apply after 5 innings or any subsequent inning thereafter.  If the home team leads after the top half of any such inning, the game shall be considered a mercy and the home team will not bat.
7. The decision of the umpire(s) will be final. Protests will be resolved on the field by the tournament convenor.
8. Two (2) points will be awarded for a win, one (1) for a tie and zero (0) for a loss. After pool play, the top 2 teams in each division will advance to the semi-finals.
9. The final score for any forfeited game will be recorded as 7-0 with 5 innings played, for tiebreaking purposes.
10. In tournaments where tie breaking rules are required, the following tie breaking rules will be used for each placement independently:
    • i. head to head record among tied teams;
    • ii. team with the smallest runs against ratio (runs allowed / number of defensive innings played) in games among tied teams;
    • iii. team with the smallest runs against ratio (runs allowed / number of defensive innings played) in all games;
    • iv. team with the highest runs for ratio (runs scored / number of offensive innings played) in games among tied teams;
    • v. team with the highest runs for ratio (runs scored / number of offensive innings played) in all games;
    • vi. coin toss
11. When there are 3 or more teams tied, the tiebreakers will commence at 10(ii). After the winner of that tie breaker is determined, the tiebreakers will continue, if necessary, at 10(ii) as long as there are 3 or more teams tied. When only 2 teams remain, the tiebreaker will start at 10(i)
12. Managers and coaches are responsible for the conduct of ANYONE involved with their team throughout the tournament.
13. East York Baseball Association accepts no responsibility for any injuries, damages, or losses to anyone during the tournament.
14. Teams are required to retrieve foul balls hit during their games. No time outs will be added for any delays due to lack of baseballs.
15. Teams are required to conduct post-game meetings off the field. Please gather all equipment and personal items as quickly as possible in order to keep games on schedule. All garbage and water bottles must be collected inside the dugouts by teams BEFORE leaving the area.
16. Coaches will sign the official game sheet immediately following the conclusion of their game.