Umpire's Guide to Little League Majors Baseball League Age 9-12 2026

• Pitcher eligibility. The umpire-in-chief should find out whether either team has ineligible pitchers. If you know a player is ineligible to pitch, don't let them pitch, even if their manager hasn't said so. If eligibility is unclear, check with the scorekeeper and official pitch count recorder and any board member present. If it still can't be settled, suspend the game until there's proper documentation, and file a game report with the league president either way.
• Lineups and local options the league has adopted, such as a continuous batting order, courtesy runners or a time limit.
• Unsportsmanlike conduct. Tell both managers that stealing or relaying signs to the batter can lead to ejection of the player and manager without an in-game warning, and that it would be handled at a dead ball.
• Equipment: inspect bats, helmets and catcher's gear with your partner before the game.

Only the manager may request an intentional walk; if the catcher asks, confirm with the manager first.

No. In the Major Division and below, pitching violations are called illegal pitches, not balks. Balks apply from the Intermediate (50/70) Division up.

• No complete stop needed. At Majors and below, the pitcher doesn't have to come to a complete, discernible stop in the set position, with or without runners on base (Rule 8.01(b) note).
• Dropped ball on the mound: with runners on base, it's a ball to the batter. With no runners on, there's no penalty.
• Illegal pitch that is delivered: play continues as a delayed dead ball. When the play ends, the offensive manager may decline the illegal pitch and take the result of the play. If the batter reaches first safely and every runner advances at least one base, the play stands without reference to the illegal pitch.
• Chanting meant to cause an illegal pitch isn't allowed (Rule 4.06(c)). Teams may cheer for their own players, but not with artificial noisemakers or a deliberate crescendo as the pitcher delivers.

Calling an illegal pitch is a joint responsibility in a two-umpire crew.

Hand to mouth: a pitcher may touch the mouth or lips with the pitching hand while within the 10-foot circle around the pitcher's plate, as long as they distinctly wipe the hand off before touching the ball. If both managers and the umpire agree before the game (in cold weather, for example), the pitcher may blow on the hand in the circle.

• Penalty: a ball is awarded to the batter, and it counts toward the pitch count. Repeated violations can lead to the pitcher's removal.

Glove: the pitcher's glove can't be white or light gray (piping excepted) or otherwise distracting to the batter.

Sleeves and undershirts: any visible undershirt must be a solid color, and the pitcher's exposed sleeves can't be white or gray. Sleeves must be the same length and color on both arms. A pitcher may not wear distracting items such as sweatbands on the hands, wrists or arms. A solid-colored play-calling band (not white, gray or optic yellow) is allowed on the glove arm.

In Majors, when the pitcher is on the pitcher's plate with the ball and the catcher is in the catcher's box ready, runners may not leave their base until the pitch has reached the batter.

If a runner leaves early:

• Drop a flag (or otherwise signal) to show the violation.
• Don't kill the play. The ball isn't dead at the moment of the infraction, and the batter isn't out for it.
• At the end of the play, the umpire who dropped the flag applies the Rule 7.13 penalty. In the usual case the runner is sent back to the base they left; in some situations Rule 7.13(c) instead removes a runner, and the scorer records that removal.

Agree in your pregame conference who watches which runners, since the base umpire usually sees the early break.

The uncaught third strike applies in the Major Division. The batter becomes a runner when strike three isn't caught and:

• first base is unoccupied, or
• first base is occupied with two outs.

The defense retires the batter-runner by tagging them or first base before they reach it. To call a batter out for abandoning the effort, they must step into dead ball territory; starting toward the dugout isn't enough.

With first base occupied and fewer than two outs, the batter is out. If that batter runs anyway and draws a throw, it isn't interference, but announce clearly that the batter is out.

If the uncaught strike goes into a dead ball area, the batter-runner is awarded first base only.

Call it when all of these apply:

1. fewer than two outs,
2. runners on first and second, or first, second and third,
3. a fair fly ball that is not a line drive or a bunt, and
4. an infielder can catch it with ordinary effort. The pitcher, catcher and any outfielder positioned in the infield count as infielders.

The batter is out, but the ball stays live. Runners may advance at their own risk; if the ball is caught they must retouch, and if it drops they aren't forced. If it becomes foul, it's a foul ball.

A runner touching their base who is hit by the ball on an infield fly is not out. The rule protects runners, so when in doubt and an easy double play is possible, call it.

• The hands are part of the batter, not the bat. Judge whether the ball hit the bat or the batter first.
• Batter swung: it's a strike (strike three means the batter is out), not a hit by pitch. The ball is dead, so there's no uncaught third strike.
• Pitch in the strike zone when it touches the batter: it's a strike, whether or not they tried to avoid it.
• Batter must try to avoid the pitch (Rule 6.08(b)). A batter who "freezes" on a pitch well inside, while in the box, shouldn't be treated as making no attempt.
• Batter awarded first: the ball is dead, and runners advance only if forced.

There's no rule that removes a pitcher for hitting a certain number of batters, and no required warning.

Under Rule 4.19, a regular season protest can only be about a misapplied or violated playing rule, an ineligible pitcher or an ineligible player. Judgment calls can't be protested.

1. The manager (or acting manager) must tell you before the next pitch or play that the game is being played under protest. An ineligible pitcher or player protest can be made any time before the umpires leave the field after the game.
2. Consult your partner(s). If you're convinced the decision conflicts with the rules, reverse it.
3. If you're satisfied the decision was correct, announce that the game is continuing under protest. Forgetting to announce it doesn't invalidate the protest.
4. If an ineligible pitcher or player is found, remove them, and the game continues under protest or not, as the protesting manager chooses.

The manager then submits the protest in writing to the league president within 24 hours, and the umpire-in-chief must also submit a report. A committee of the president, player agent, umpire-in-chief and at least one other officer or director (not a manager or umpire) decides it. If the protest is upheld, the game resumes from the point of the infraction.

Once the game begins, the umpires alone decide whether it stops for weather or field conditions (Rule 4.01(d)). A local league rule can't override that.

Lightning: Little League's lightning guidelines say to stop and get everyone to a safe place when lightning is seen, thunder is heard, or the flash-to-bang time is 30 seconds or less. Dugouts and shelters are not safe. Wait at least 30 minutes after the storm before resuming. The guidelines recommend a separate "lightning monitor," not an umpire or coach, to watch conditions.

Resuming: a suspended game picks up from the exact point it was halted. It's treated as the same game, so mound visits already charged carry over, and the pitcher of record may continue if still eligible. Before you leave, make sure the scorekeeper has recorded the score, outs, runners and count.

Players, managers and coaches: the umpire may eject for things like abusive language or malicious contact. The standard penalty for an ejection is the rest of that game and all of the next game. An ejected player is not an out; the team replaces them before play resumes. Ejected, ill or injured players must stay supervised until released to a parent or guardian.

Ejecting the only adult: if a manager must be ejected and no coach or other adult is there to take over the team, suspend the game and report it to the board of directors.

Spectators: umpires can't eject spectators. Board members handle anything off the field. If no board member is present, send both teams to their dugouts and announce the game won't continue until the problem is dealt with. If that doesn't work, suspend the game and refer it to the board.

File a game report with the league president after any of these.