Pitcher can hit how many batters before pulled?

[Mark Haenni]

What do the National Federation of Baseball Rules state regarding: How many times can a pitcher hit batters before being pulled from the mound? And are they still allowed to play outfield/bat?

[Rich Ives]

What do the National Federation of Baseball Rules state regarding: How many times can a pitcher hit batters before being pulled from the mound? And are they still allowed to play outfield/bat?

There is no limit.

The second Q is thus moot.

[Umpire in Chief]

He can hit all he wants until the ump believes it to be intentional. Then he's not doing anything.

[Stan W.]

As said above......a pitcher can hit the whole team as long as you determine it not intentional......

the "rule" that you can only hit a batter a certain number of times before beng pulled is usually a local rule in youth ball that does not follow on to levels where the pitchers are expected to have enough control to avoid plunking batters.....

[FVBump]

As said above......a pitcher can hit the whole team as long as you determine it not intentional......

the "rule" that you can only hit a batter a certain number of times before beng pulled is usually a local rule in youth ball that does not follow on to levels where the pitchers are expected to have enough control to avoid plunking batters.....

Agreed. Local rule.

[mstaylor]

NFHS is mute on the point. The manager usually has a pretty quick pull for multible hits. I watched a game tonight, OBR and adults, they had at last 9 hit batters, three pitchers for the same team. One batter was hit three times.

[TNCoach]

This got me one time. I was PU doing a LL softball game back 8 or 9 years ago. Girl hits three batters in an inning. This league was notorious for bad pitching in softball. I forget what the level was called, but it seems like they put age groups together to field the teams. They had 4 teams. One team had a great pitcher. The other teams used someone who they tried to turn into a pitcher. It was so bad, that one local rule was a last batter rule where the last batter was announced and all that like some leagues do in T-Ball. It was so bad that usually if a team did not have the last batter come up to the plate once in a game, that team would lose.

Anyways, the girl on a team hits 3 batters in an inning. I sent her to first just like the others. Now mind you, the ball bounced and hit each of the three batters. It wasn't as if she was intentionally throwing at batters. Well, guess what! This league had a local rule that was never given to me. The OC came out and argued because I didn't remove her from pitcher. I explained to him that I had never been given a list of local rules and if that were a rule, I still had nothing saying it was. I then asked him why he would want me to change their pitcher when she had not thrown a strike all night. The DC came out and I asked him about the rule. He said it was a local rule, so I asked him to remove her. They put in a girl who had never pitched in her life. She threw enough strikes to get the win. The other girl would have never done that.

[yawetag]

The OC came out and argued because I didn't remove her from pitcher. I explained to him that I had never been given a list of local rules and if that were a rule, I still had nothing saying it was. I then asked him why he would want me to change their pitcher when she had not thrown a strike all night. The DC came out and I asked him about the rule. He said it was a local rule, so I asked him to remove her.

The OC says it's a rule and you don't believe him. The DC says it is and you believe him? That doesn't make sense.

In this instance, I may ask a coach for a copy of the rules. If none are available, I'll rule it according to the rule set they are using.

[Rich Ives]

The OC says it's a rule and you don't believe him. The DC says it is and you believe him? That doesn't make sense.

.

Sure it makes sense. If BOTH agree it's probably true, but you don't know they both agree until you check behind door number 2.

[txump81]

Sure it makes sense. If BOTH agree it's probably true, but you don't know they both agree until you check behind door number 2.

I agree with Rich. If both agree, it's most likely true. Especially if the DC has no other "pitchers" and has to pull his ace.

[TNCoach]

Sure it makes sense. If BOTH agree it's probably true, but you don't know they both agree until you check behind door number 2.

Exactly. I hadn't received the local rules. Didn't know to ask for them because it was my first season umpiring. If they disagreed, I was going to send for the administrator of the park.