Baseball is here for the summer, for kids of all ages.  Grownups, too, for that matter.  If you’ve ever had a pitcher in the family, you know that shoulder injuries are common, and if you’ve ever watched a slow motion video of a pitcher’s action, you can see why.  It’s not an entirely natural motion, and done repetitively, it can cause injury.  Pain and swelling may occur and sometimes even surgery is required if the damage is severe.

Little League Baseball has guidelines in place, designed to prevent injury.  These rules govern both the number of pitches allowed per day, and the number of days rest required after pitching.  You can read their entire list of pitching rules here.

Both the number of pitches and the number of rest days are regulated by age.  Here is their list of pitching limits per day:

17-18         105 pitches per day

13-16         95 pitches per day

11-12                   85 pitches per day

9-10           75 pitches per day

7-8              50 pitches per day

 

And the rest day requirements, again quoting from their website:

Pitchers league age 14 and under

• If a player pitches 66 or more pitches in a day, four calendar days of rest must be observed.

• If a player pitches 51-65 pitches in a day, three calendar days of rest must be observed.

• If a player pitches 36-50 pitches in a day, two calendar days of rest must be observed.

• If a player pitches 21-35 pitches in a day, one calendar day of rest must be observed.

• If a player pitches 1-20 pitches in a day, no calendar day of rest is required.

Pitchers league age 15-18

• If a player pitches 76 or more pitches in a day, four calendar days of rest must be observed.

• If a player pitches 61-75 pitches in a day, three calendar days of rest must be observed.

• If a player pitches 46-60 pitches in a day, two calendar days of rest must be observed.

• If a player pitches 31-45 pitches in a day, one calendar day of rest must be observed.

• If a player pitches 1-30 pitches in a day, no calendar day of rest is required.

           A game official is required to keep the pitch counts for every pitcher in the game and to let the head umpire know when a pitcher has reached his/her limit.

For other notes on safety and required equipment for ALL baseball players at different positions, please read Little League’s equipment checklist here.

Fun and safety are the twins of any sport.  Insuring your child’s safety and health increases the fun quotient!

 

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