Weather and the Game

Weather and the Game

If there is light rain falling, you may still begin or continue playing the game. A key is to watch the field and if it becomes slick and unsafe, then halt the game. You may need a towel to dry game balls. You can request one of the coaches or assistant coaches to do this for you.

If you see lightning or if a coach or a fan sees lightning, immediately send all players to the dugout. You are required to wait 30 minutes from the time you last saw lightning until you allow the players back onto the field. This is a hard rule. You must comply with this rule. If a surrounding thunderstorm becomes violent, then tell the coaches to send their players to their cars and take similar or suitable protection yourself.

Also, tell the coaches to make sure the players do not leave. It is possible to have a violent thunderstorm that passes without dropping significant rain. After it passes, you may be able to resume the game. When play is stopped, note the numbers of the players on base, the number of the player batting, the count on the batter, and the number of outs. You can have the home team scorekeeper make a note of all this in the score book. Also, stop the game clock.

Each regular season game is timed. The length of the game is to be 2 hours.
At the time of the plate conference notify each coach of start time for the game. They will likely check their own watch or set a timer function.
The inning or half-inning is over at the moment the third out is made.
Each game must complete four innings (3½ innings if the home team is ahead). Review the following examples.

2 Hours Expires:

Top of the fifth inning one out and the score is home 9 visitor 4.

Continue play until the third out. If the home team is still leading after the third out, then the game is over.

Top of the fourth inning none out and the score is visitor 7 home 5.

Continue play through the third out. Then the home team is allowed to bat through the bottom of the inning. If after three outs, the home team still trails, then the game is over and the visiting team wins. If the home team scores enough runs to take the lead, then the game is over when the play that permits the winning run to score is over.

Bottom of the fifth inning two out and the score is home 11 visitor 10.

Stop play when the time limit is reached. It is customary to allow the current batter to finish his/her at bat.

Third out for the bottom of the fourth is recorded and the game clock is at 1:44 with score visitor 3 home 1.

By the time the top half of the fifth inning starts, the game clock will have expired, however, since the inning actually starts (by rule) at the moment of the third out, the top of the fifth inning started at 1:44. Play the fifth inning. Since the visitors are ahead at the time of the start of the inning, the home team will also get to bat. Assuming the home team is not able to tie or take the lead, the game is over after the third out in the bottom of the fifth inning.