Runner Advancing to Second on a Walk - Official LL Interpretation

You can have the catcher get the ball back to the pitcher as quick as he can and have the pitcher on the rubber. Once the pitcher is on the rubber the runners must not advance.

Sorry, but this is incorrect. It may not mean that your umpires will call it properly, but as far as the official interpretation is concerned, you cannot stop a batter-runner from advancing to second if he wants to.

The rule in question is Little League 7.13. It is intended only as a no lead-off rule. It is not there to give the defense a device to halt aggressive baserunning.

To begin with, in order for runners to be required to remain in contact with their bases, the pitcher must be in possession of the ball and standing on the rubber ready to deliver the next pitch. Also, the catcher must be in the catcher's box and be ready to receive delivery of the next pitch. Williamsport has further ruled that in order for the catcher to be considered "ready to receive" the next pitch, he must be wearing his helmet. He does not need to be crouching.

So, if the pitcher has the ball and is on the rubber, and the catcher is wearing his helmet and is in his catcher's box, then (and only then) are runners required to remain in contact with their bases. This was designed purposely to prohibit leading-off without affecting aggressive base running.

But even the pitcher with the ball on the rubber and the catcher in the box wearing his helmet still cannot keep a batter-runner who has walked from advancing onto second if he wants to. Williamsport has also ruled that, if the pitcher and catcher have both met the 7.13 requirements (as stated above) before the walked batter-runner reaches first base, that batter-runner may advance to second as long as he does not stop. Only if he stops can a signal flag be thrown for violation of 7.13. That is provided that the defense continues its compliance with the 7.13 requirements. In other words, if the batter-runners stops, and the pitcher steps off the rubber, 7.13 is no longer an issue.

Furthermore, if the batter-runner does advance to second without stopping, the pitcher must give the batter-runner a reasonable amount of time to reach second base. The pitcher cannot hurry up and deliver.

I hope this helps you folks. There's much confusion in this area. Get to know Williamsport's rulings and send them to your umpires so they know too. It's a slap in the face at tournament time when you find out for the first time what the official rulings are. I'm sure you would agree that knowing the rules during regular season will give your players a leg-up on the competition.

For those of you who are members of eUmpire.com, I have a two-part article coming out dealing with this very rule. It contains tons of valuable information for umpires, leagues, managers, and coaches alike. It is an on-line magazine requiring a paid subscription, so please don't yell at me.

Sincerely,
Jim Porter
Youth League Correspondent
eUmpire.com
JimPorter@RightSports.com