Playing Rules

The following are the Playing Rules for the Prospect Park Baseball Association. The hardball & softball rules cover baseball from the Cub Division through the Freshmen Division (ages 9-17), plus the softball rules from the Mustang Division through the High School Division (ages 8-17).

Updated PPBA Baseball & Softball Rules (last update 04.01.24)

The Pee Wee Division (ages 4-6) rules are separate, as are the Pony Division (ages 7-8) rules and are listed below:

AUDIO OF COMMON RULES MISCONCEPTIONS & INFORMATION BY UMPIRE ORGANIZATION (Click to Play)

SELECTED RULE CHANGES & CLARIFICATIONS: 2024

(see the actual rule for details)

  • Age Cutoff moved to December 31 of the prior year to conform with the school year age cutoff to enable players to be with their school friends. (section 7, pp 5-6)
  • Playing Down in Age Rule – now limited solely to physical and mental handicap players and those grandfathered in based on their participation on a 2023 team. (section d, p.6)
  • All players must wear full-length athletic pants. Shorts are not allowed for all players including girls’ softball. (section 8(b), p7)
  • Grasshopper and Freshmen players are allowed to use any bat currently approved for play by the PSAL. (section 1(a)(i), p 8)
  • Bronco games are 6 innings. (Chart P.10)
  • Freshmen teams have the option of choosing universal batting or a 9 or 10 team batting order. That choice must be made at the home plate meeting before the game starts. (section b(i)(C), p14)
  • The modified balk rule for the Super Bantam division is now set forth in section iii, page 19.
  • Moving Base Rule (Clarification) – A baserunner who safely reaches a base that moves from its original location cannot be called out unless, in the opinion of the umpire, that baserunner makes a move to advance toward the next base. If the baserunner subsequently attempts to return to the original base, the baserunner must return to that base’s original location.(vii, p/20)
  • For extra-inning games, only in tournament games can pitchers get one extra inning. (section f(ii), p.21 and section C(3)(e), p.25)
 
 
New Safety Measures – 04.01.2017
 
Defibrillators: The City now requires that all teams have a city-provided defibrillator at all practices and games that occur on Parks Department fields.  Training is required and is provided at no cost to whomever on each team will be available to work the machine at practices and games.  A list of the training sessions provided by the Parks Department can be found at the following link: https://www.nycgovparks.org/reg/aed-training
 
Pitcher’s Head Protection:  Added to the rules this year is the requirement that all pitchers wear a PPBA-approved head guard.  This applies to pitchers in the following divisions: Cubs, Bantam, Super Bantam, Grasshopper and Freshmen only.  Approved is the use of batting helmets that fit snuggly and device sold by BattingCapLiner.com