Baseball rules and numbers, explained

The rules parents ask about, and how they differ by league.

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  Baseball Rules by League: Little League to MLB

  The biggest differences: in Little League's Major Division and younger, runners can't lead off, so there are no balks, every player must play and bat in the regular season, and pitchers follow strict pitch counts. From the 50/70 Division up, runners lead off and balks are called. High school leaves run rules, pitch counts and courtesy runners to each state.

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  Baseball Rules for New Parents: A Plain-English Guide

  Youth baseball's odd-looking calls come down to a few rules. A balk sends runners up a base, the infield fly makes the batter out even if the ball drops, and a dropped third strike can let the batter run. Pitch counts set how much a pitcher may throw and how long they rest. Which ones apply depends on your child's league and age.

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  Little League vs High School Baseball Rules

  Going from Little League's Major Division to high school, runners can lead off and steal, so balks are called. The field grows from 60-foot bases to 90 feet, with the mound at 60 feet 6 inches. Bats must be BBCOR, games go to seven innings, playing time is up to the coach, and pitch count limits come from the state.

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  What Is a Balk? The Balk Rule in Baseball, Explained

  A balk is an illegal move by the pitcher while runners are on base, usually something that could trick a runner. Every runner moves up one base. With nobody on base the same move is an illegal pitch, and the batter gets a ball. Little League's Major Division and below don't call balks at all.

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  Dropped Third Strike Rule: When Can the Batter Run?

  If the catcher doesn't catch strike three cleanly, the batter can run to first, but only if first base is empty or there are two outs. With a runner on first and fewer than two outs, the batter is out anyway. Little League uses the rule in the Major Division and up, not in Minors or Tee Ball.

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  The Infield Fly Rule, Explained Simply

  With fewer than two outs and runners on first and second (or the bases loaded), a fair pop-up an infielder can catch easily is an infield fly. The umpire calls the batter out right away, caught or not, so runners aren't forced to run. They may still advance at their own risk.

Pitch count limits and rest days for every league and state.

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  Pitch Count Calculator: Rest Days by State and League

  Pick Little League, Pitch Smart or your state's high school association, then the age or level, and enter the pitches thrown. The calculator shows the rest required, the first day the pitcher can throw again, and the daily limit, with the table and its source.

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  High School Pitch Count Rules by State (2026)

  Every state association sets its own high school pitch count rule, so the daily limit and the rest it requires differ from state to state. The table lists each state's association, its limit, its rest, and the document we read; click a state for its full tables and a calculator set to it.

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  Little League Pitch Count Rules and Rest Days (2026)

  Little League pitchers may throw 50 pitches a day at league age 6–8, 75 at 9–10, 85 at 11–12 and 95 at 13–16. Players 14 and under need 1 day of rest after 21 pitches, up to 4 days after 66 or more; ages 15–16 have higher thresholds. No one may pitch three days in a row.

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  Pitch Smart Guidelines: Pitch Counts and Rest by Age

  Pitch Smart recommends a daily limit of 50 pitches at ages 7–8 rising to 120 at 19–22, with up to 4 days of rest for most ages (5 at 19–22). Many travel and independent leagues adopt it; it's guidance, not a league rule, unless your league says so.

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  American Legion Baseball Pitch Count Rules (2026)

  American Legion pitchers may throw up to 105 pitches a day, in both Senior and Junior Legion. 31 pitches or more needs rest, up to 4 days after 81 or more, and no one may pitch in more than two games in any three days in a row.

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  Alaska High School Pitch Count Rules (ASAA)

  Under ASAA rules, Alaska high school pitchers may throw up to 120 pitches a day (April 28 to the end of the season). Up to 30 pitches needs no rest; 106 or more needs 4 calendar days of rest. The other tables and the extra limits are below.

ERA, WHIP, batting average and OPS, with youth and high school game lengths.

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  ERA Calculator for High School and Youth Baseball (WHIP Too)

  ERA is earned runs × innings in a game ÷ innings pitched. High school games are 7 innings, so a high school ERA uses 7; Little League Majors use 6, and college and the majors use 9. WHIP is walks plus hits ÷ innings pitched.

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  Batting Average Calculator with OBP, SLG and OPS

  Batting average is hits ÷ at-bats. On-base percentage adds walks and hit by pitch. Slugging counts total bases per at-bat. OPS is on-base plus slugging.

Drills and practice plans by age.

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  Youth Baseball Drills: 20 Drills by Skill and Age

  Twenty drills that cover what a youth team needs, with the ages each one suits. Every drill has its setup, how it runs and the one or two things to watch. The practice plans by age are built from these.

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  6U Baseball Practice Plan (60 Minutes, Tee Ball Age)

  At 5 and 6, a practice is an hour of games. Spend it on catching and throwing with soft balls, fielding grounders, hitting off a tee and running the bases the right way. Nothing runs longer than 10 minutes, and no one waits in a line.

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  8U Baseball Practice Plan (75 Minutes, Coach Pitch)

  At 7 and 8, most players are hitting coach or machine pitch and learning to throw properly. Spend 75 minutes on a throwing progression, grounders and fly balls, three hitting stations and baserunning, and finish with a game they'll want to play again.

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  10U Baseball Practice Plan (90 Minutes)

  At 9 and 10, kids start pitching to each other, so practice adds pitchers' work, catching and simple game situations to throwing, fielding, hitting and baserunning. Ninety minutes in short blocks, with stations so nobody waits.

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  12U Baseball Practice Plan (90 Minutes)

  At 11 and 12, practice moves from learning skills to playing the game. Use 90 minutes on sharper throwing and fielding, front toss and bunting, pitcher and catcher work, pop-up communication, and game situations with a full defense.

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  14U Baseball Practice Plan (2 Hours, Big Field)

  At 13 and 14, players move toward the big field and full rules, with leads, pickoffs and balks. A two-hour practice adds leads and reads and pickoff work, longer throwing, and team defense to hitting and fielding.

Pitch count logs and lineup cards to print and bring along.

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  Printable Pitch Count Log (Free PDF) with Rest Days

  Log every game's pitchers, their pitch counts, the rest days that requires and the first day each one may pitch again. Little League's 2026 rest chart is printed at the bottom; high school teams fill in their state's rules.

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  Free Printable Baseball Lineup Card (PDF)

  One page with the batting order and jersey numbers, the position each player plays every inning, substitutes, courtesy runners and today's pitch counts. It fits youth leagues that bat the whole roster and rotate positions.