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During Christmas vacation at
PHS, the AWBL captains and a committee of players met to discuss the
upcoming season. Topics discussed ranged from the draft and its order to
rules including foul balls, pitching, the batter's box, and more.
Eventually, the committee made a few changes to the AWBL rulebook that
should enhance the gameplay in 2003. The following rules have been
changed, altered, or enstated for 2003.
- Due to the lack of saves
over the first two seasons of the AWBL, closers have been nearly extinct.
Now, anytime a new pitcher enters the last inning, he is eligible for a
save if he does not blow his team's lead. Basic save rules apply as well,
meaning if a pitcher enters in the 6th inning with the a three run lead or
less, or the tying run on base, and does not blow his team's lead over the
6th and 7th inning, he will recieve a save. This is an effort to establish
closer's in the AWBL.
- A major rule change is the
addition of the intentional walk to the AWBL. Each team is eligible to
intentionally walk one batter per game. This was enstated because there
are no other ways to pitch around a batter. One player could kill a team
the entire game while the rest of his team is playing horrible. Now, a
team can take the risk of putting that batter on base to pitch to the
following batter. Even if a game goes extra innings, each team only gets
one intentional walk.
- Regulations on pitching
innings has always been in question in the AWBL. Now, a pitcher may only
pitch 7 innings over a two game span. The exception to this rule is a game
that goes to extra innings. Extra innings do not count towards the 7
innings a pitcher must distribute between two games. Therefore, a pitcher
who pitches a complete game may not enter the next game unless it goes to
extra innings.
- The Kevan Emhoff rule of
bat throwing has been changed once again. Only a legit throw that will
delay the course of a game will be counted as an out for the team. If
someone tosses the bat gently, or throws the bat after making contact with
a pitch, it will be not be considered an out. Also, bat throw outs cannot
be carried over between games but can be carried over between innings.
- Foul balls on the third
base line will be judged basically the same way they were in 2002. If the
ball is hit anywhere into the tree on the third base line, it is foul,
whether it comes back into play or not. Anywhere on the tree is foul, the
trunk through the branches. A ball may be caught anywhere out of the tree
for an out.
- A ground-ruled double will
occur anytime a ball is hit into a bush, tree, etc. and the fielder cannot
locate the ball by the time the baserunner has reached 2nd base.
- Due to Kyle Barilar's
Happy Gilmore batting style from 2002, the batter's box was a major topic
in AWBL debate. The rule has been changed so that there are boundaries to
the batter's box on the front, left, and right sides, but there is no
boundary to the back. |