Stickball Lives South of the Bronzk !!
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"Baseball is 90 per cent mental. The other half is physical" -
Yogi Bera
"...Hit 'em where they ain't!! -
Wee Willie Keeler
SCP Stickball league official Rules
Rev 1.1 MAY 2022
This Rule Book has been specifically developed to carry our mission of friendship and good sportsmanship.
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I. STICKBALL
Stickball is a game that is similar to baseball, but as the name would indicate, a player uses a long, thin stick, and a smaller soft rubber ball. Players do NOT run bases. There are lines marked on the pavement/asphalt field to represent a single, double, triple, and home-run.
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II. FIELD
The stickball field is a street within the Sun City Peachtree community, located preferably within a cul-de-sac. The Field Width is that of the street, including the curbing. Field length is approximately 180-200 feet. Four sets of orange cones are located along the edges of the curbing on opposite sides of the street. Each cone is separated by a distance of 30 feet. Painted dashed lines are marked across the street, perpendicular to the cones. The pitching area is located 55-60 feet from Home Plate. The area inside the cones/lines constitutes FAIR territory. The cones are in FOUL Territory.
III. EQUIPMENT
A. Balls – air-filled rubber, resilient, soft, and high bouncing: Spalding Hi-Bounce (often referred to as a “Spaldeen”), Sky-bounce, or equivalent.
B. Bats - Broomstick style, made out of wood. They cannot extend more than 42 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Examples: Official Spalding stickball bat, wooded broom handles, and bought wooden dowels cut down to 42” or less . Any kind of tape can be added for a better grip on the bat.
C. Gloves - A tight-fitting glove, such as a golf or batting glove, may be used for batting and fielding.
IV. PLAYERS
A. Each player should consider their physical capabilities before deciding to participate. Player safety with no injuries is one of the league’s goals. Running backwards for a fly ball is unwise/discouraged.
B. Each team may have no more than 9 or 10 players on the field (excluding the pitcher, which is supplied by the team at bat.) There is no minimum number of players on each team.
C. A Team Captain is selected/volunteered for the two opposing teams. Each captain picks their team members from the players that show up to play. Players are selected one at a time, alternating between the two captains, until all players are chosen. Each alternately selected player should be chosen based on their expressed abilities, so as to evenly match the teams as best as possible.
D. Latecomers are added at the bottom of the batting order.
E. If a player leaves a team for whatever reason, they are removed from the batting order. There is no team penalty.
F. The Team Captain establishes the position of each player on the field.
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V. UMPIRING
The defensive team in the field has sole authority for calling FAIR and FOUL balls. If the closest player to the “in-question” ball cannot make the call, then the on-field Team Captain makes the call, which can be a “do-over” call (no pitch).
In the case of FAIR or FOUL balls along the first and third base lines, the catcher on the offensive team (being in the best line-of-sight position) will make the call.
VI. PITCHING
A. The team at bat supplies their own pitcher and catcher.
B. The pitcher must pitch from the designated pitching area, identified by a painted line mark on the field.
C. The ball must be pitched with slow to moderate speed, and it must bounce at least once off the pavement/ground before reaching the batter.
D. The offensive team does NOT field batted balls. If a batted ball hits the pitcher or ball holder, it is a DEAD ball (no pitch, DO OVER).
E. The pitcher can NOT deliberately interfere, or “screen” a fielder. If the pitcher deliberately interferes or touches the ball, the batter is OUT.
F. There is no limit on the number of pitches allowed.
VII. INNINGS
A. There is a maximum of nine (9) innings played. The Team Captains agree, at some point in the game, on the number of innings to be played that game.
B. Double innings are played until the last inning. After the batting team makes three outs in one inning, they remain at bat for an additional three outs. Any runners that were on-base are erased to start the next inning. Therefore, a team stays at bat for innings 1 & 2, 3 & 4, etc., until the last inning.
C. A team can score a maximum of five (5) runs per inning. However, in the last inning either team can score as many runs as possible.
D. There are three (3) outs per inning.
VIII. PLAYING THE GAME
A. Batting
1. Each player must be given a time at bat per the batting order established by the Team Captain and written in the scorebook
(if one is available).
2. Each player is responsibility to know their place in the batting order. If a player accidently bats out-of-order, there is no
penalty. The captain must correct the batting order error as soon as possible.
3. A batter may only use one of the types of bats described in Section III.
4. A batter is allowed 3 Strikes, each either by swinging and missing, or by hitting a FOUL ball.
B. Ground Balls
1. A ground ball is defined as a batted ball with forward motion that bounces at least once before the singles line.
2. A ground ball that does not reach the singles line in a 'reasonable amount of time' cannot be fielded and shall be considered a FOUL ball.
3. A ground ball that ricochets off the cement curbing or spins off FOUL territory grass prior to the singles line and enters into the playing field as FAIR, shall be considered a FAIR ball. It shall be playable by a first line defender.
4. A ground ball that passes the singles line in FAIR territory and then travels into FOUL territory can be fielded by a first line defender in FOUL territory (but before the doubles line). If the ball is caught, then it’s recorded as an OUT. If errored, it’s a single.
5. A ground ball caught by a properly positioned infielder is a ground OUT. An infielder is properly positioned if they are playing between the singles and doubles lines when the batter hits the ball. Therefore, a first line of defense infielder, who starts in-front-of the doubles line, may move forward, up to the singles line, to field the ground ball and record an OUT. If a fielder catches a ground ball in front of the singles line, or beyond the doubles line, it shall be considered a SINGLE. The defender's FEET MUST be FULLY within the single zone.
6. A fielded ground ball cannot be turned into a double play.
7. No player may move from beyond the doubles line to field a ground ball. If a fielder does, the grounder is a single.
C. Fly Balls
1. A fly ball (or line drive) is defined as a batted ball with forward motion that reaches the playing field or FOUL territory without hitting the ground.
2. A fly ball caught in the air in FAIR or FOUL territory is an OUT.
3. A fly ball mishandled/bobbled by one fielder and subsequently caught by another fielder (without hitting the ground) is an OUT.
4. A fly ball that lands inside the foul lines (cones) is a FAIR ball. A fly ball that passes the singles line, lands, and then bounces off the curbing is a hit. The ball cannot be played or caught for an out after hitting the curbing.
5. A fly ball dropped in FOUL territory is a STRIKE. However, if any part of the fielder’s body (e.g. foot) is within the playing field and the fly ball is dropped, then it’s a hit.
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6. A fly ball that does not reach the singles line (which includes the pitcher’s mound) and is not caught is a FOUL ball. If the ball is caught before the singles line, it is an OUT. If the fly ball is dropped, it is a FOUL ball.
D. Hits
1. The lines/markers on the field identify whether an uncaught batted ball is a single, double, triple, or home-run.
2. The number of bases the batter is entitled to is determined by where the ball first makes contact with the fielder, not where it lands after hitting the fielder. This rule applies regardless of whether the ball lands in FAIR or FOUL territory.
Example: A fly ball that hits an outfielder standing behind the triples line, bounces forward, and lands in doubles territory, is a triple. If it bounces backward over the home-run line, or sideways into FOUL territory, it is still a triple.
3. Singles
a. A bouncing ground ball not caught/errored by a first line defender between the single and double line is a single (even if another defender subsequently catches a ricochet ball off of the first defender).
b. A fly ball or line-drive that passes the singles line and lands before the doubles line is a single, regardless of whether a first line defender catches it or not.
4. Doubles
a. A fly ball or line-drive not caught on a fly by a fielder that lands on or after the doubles line - but before the triples line - is a double.
5. Triples
a. A fly ball or line-drive not caught on a fly by a fielder that lands on or after the triples line - but before the home-run line - is a triple.
6. Home Runs
a. A fly ball or line-drive not caught on a fly by a fielder that lands on or after the home-run line is a home-run.
b. A fly ball or line-drive hit beyond the orange cones lined across the street in the outfield is an automatic home-run (cannot be played).