2025 GENERAL RULES

11th ANNUAL GREATER MICHIGAN APBA BASEBALL TOURNAMENT – MARCH 1, 2025

GENERAL RULES – (Revision 20)

 

  • GENERAL RULES – (Revision 20)
     
    • ANY APBA-ISSUED MLB TEAM FROM 1901-2023 WITH THE 2ND BEST RECORD IN EITHER THE AMERICAN OR NATIONAL LEAGUES DURING THAT SEASON 
     
    • 25 MAN MAX ROSTER
     
    • THE BASIC GAME WILL BE USED
     
    • DICE WILL BE PROVIDED (ONLY DICE PROVIDED MAY BE USED)
     
    • HAND ROLLING IS NOT PERMITTED (DICE SHAKERS, CUPS, AND / OR DICE TOWERS MUST BE USED)
     
    • ONLY FIELDING BOOKLET © 2007 OR NEWER WILL BE USED THESE INCLUDE K, R & ZZ PITCHER CONTROL RATINGS
     
    • THE FIELDING BOOKLET OF THE DEFENSIVE TEAM (2007, 2009, 2011, OR 2013) WILL BE THE FINAL AUTHORITY FOR THE RESULTS OF EACH ROLL AND RESULTS FOR THE OFFENSIVE PLAYER
     
    • THE DESIGNATED HITTER WILL BE USED. PITCHERS MAY NOT PINCH HIT OR PINCH RUN. STARTING PITCHERS WHO MEET THE 80 AB REQUIREMENT, MAY HIT FOR THEIR TEAM DURING THE GAME THAT THEY START IN PLACE OF THE DESIGNATED HITTER (IE: BABE RUTH, DON NEWCOMBE, EARL WILSON, ETC.). HOWEVER, IF THE MANAGER CHOOSES TO HIT THEIR PITCHER, A DH MAY NOT BE INSERTED FOR HIM LATER IN THE GAME.
     
    • TEAMS WILL BE PLACED INTO DIVISIONS BY A BLIND DRAW
     
    • ROUND ROBIN PLAY WILL BE USED 8 GAMES PER TEAM, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. GAMES ARE TO BE PLAYED IN ORDER
     
    • DIVISIONAL (AND HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE) TIE-BREAKERS WILL BE AS FOLLOWS:
     
    1. W-L RECORD (IF THE W-L RECORDS ARE IDENTICAL, PROCEED TO 2.)
     
    2. HEAD-TO-HEAD (IF THE TEAMS SPLIT 2 GAMES, OR IF ALL THE TEAMS WITH THE SAME RECORDS HAVE NOT PLAYED EACH OTHER, PROCEED TO 3.)
     
    3. RUN DIFFERENTIAL (IF THEIR RUN DIFFERENTIALS ARE IDENTICAL, PROCEED TO 4.)
     
    4. MOST RUNS SCORED (IF THEIR RUNS SCORED ARE IDENTICAL, PROCEED TO 5.)
     
    5. PLAY A 1-GAME PLAYOFF (PLAY-IN) GAME TO GET INTO THE PLAYOFFS
     
    • 8 TEAMS WILL ADVANCE TO THE PLAYOFFS (ELITE EIGHT, FINAL FOUR, BEST OF 3 FINALS); THERE WILL ALSO BE A CONSOLATION SINGLE-ELIMINATION TOURNAMENT FOR THOSE PLAYERS WHO DO NOT ADVANCE INTO THE PLAYOFF PORTION OF THE TOURNEY
     
    • AFTER THE ROUND-ROBIN PLAY, TIE-BREAKERS WILL BE USED TO DETERMINE HOME-FIELD
     
    • ALL RESULTS ARE NOT SUBJECT TO INJURIES, EJECTIONS, OR RAINOUTS
     
    EXAMPLES: 
    “SINGLE; line drive hits pitcher; runner to 3rd; pitcher injured; unable to play next 7 games” 
    WOULD SIMPLY BE: “SINGLE; line drive; runner to 3rd”
     
    “Ball; pitcher dispute’s umpire’s decision and ejected for the remainder of the game”
    WOULD SIMPLY BE: “BALL” (Roll Again)
     
    • PLAYERS MUST HAVE AT LEAST 80 AB TO START
     
    • PLAYERS WITH LESS THAN 80 AB MAY EITHER (1) ONLY PINCH HIT BEFORE THE COMPLETION OF 6 INNINGS OR (2) HE MAY ENTER THE GAME AFTER THE COMPLETION OF 6 INNINGS AND REMAIN IN THE GAME
     
    PACE OF PLAY RULES
     
    • ROUND ROBIN PLAY WILL BEGIN NO LATER THAN 9:15 AM. MANAGERS MUST COMPLETE 6 GAMES BY 2:00 PM; IF MANAGERS IN A DIVISION HAVE NOT COMPLETED 6 GAMES BY 2:00 PM, ALL GAMES BEGUN AFTER 2:00 PM ARE TO BE SHORTENED, WITH THE TEAM LEADING AFTER 7 INNINGS DECLARED THE GAME WINNER. IN CASE OF A TIE AFTER 7 INNINGS, A COIN FLIP WILL DETERMINE THE WINNER
     
    FIELDING RULES
     
    • ONLY TOTAL TEAM FIELDING RATINGS WILL BE USED (OPTIONAL FIELDING WILL NOT BE USED)
     
    • ANY PLAYER WHO DOES NOT HAVE A FIELDING RATING FOR A POSITION WILL BE CONSIDERED THE LOWEST FIELDING RATING AT THAT POSITION IF PLACED INTO THE GAME
     
    • THE MANAGER MUST DECLARE DEEP (D) OR CLOSE (C) WITH A RUNNER ON THIRD BASE. IF NOTHING IS DECLARED, THE INFIELD WILL BE CONSIDERED TO BE PLAYING DEEP (D)
     
    BASE-RUNNING RULES
     
    • A MANAGER MUST DECLARE WHETHER OR NOT A RUNNER IS “PLAYING IT SAFE.”  IF THEY ARE “PLAYING IT SAFE,” THE RUNNER WOULD ONLY ADVANCE AS FAR AS THE BATTER.  FOR EXAMPLE, WITH A RUNNER ON FIRST BASE, THE BATTER DOUBLES, THE RUNNER WOULD ONLY ADVANCE TWO BASES AND THUS, GO TO THIRD AND NOT SCORE DESPITE WHAT THE BOARD SAYS. ALL BOARD STEAL RESULTS OR THROWN OUT TRYING TO STEAL ARE NEGATED IF THE MANAGER HAS DECLARED THAT THE RUNNER IS “PLAYING IT SAFE.” HOWEVER, RUNNERS WILL ADVANCE ON PASSED BALLS AND WILD PITCHES EVEN IF THEY ARE “PLAYING IT SAFE.”
     
    • THERE IS NO LIMIT TO HIT-AND-RUN OR SACRIFICE ATTEMPTS
     
    PITCHING RULES
     
    • A 3-MAN ROTATION WILL BE USED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE TOURNAMENT
     
    IN ROUND-ROBIN PLAY,
     
    GAME # 1 (# 1 STARTER)
    GAME # 2 (# 2 STARTER)
    GAME # 3 (# 3 STARTER)
    GAME # 4 (# 1 STARTER)
    GAME # 5 (# 2 STARTER) 
    GAME # 6 (# 3 STARTER)
    GAME # 7 (# 1 STARTER)
    GAME # 8 (# 2 STARTER)
     
    IN THE PLAYOFFS,
     
    ELITE EIGHT (# 1 STARTER) 
    FINAL FOUR (# 2 STARTER) 
     
    TOURNEY FINALS – BEST OF 3
     
    GAME # 1 (# 1 STARTER)
    GAME # 2 (# 2 STARTER)
    GAME # 3 (# 3 STARTER) – IF NECESSARY
     
    • ALL STARTING PITCHERS MAY START BUT MUST HAVE AT LEAST BOTH 15 STARTS AND 75 IP
     
    • PITCHERS DESIGNATED ONLY AS RELIEVERS (*) MAY NOT START [SPLIT GRADES {Example: B (A*)} MAY START, BUT AGAIN, THEY MUST HAVE AT LEAST BOTH 15 STARTS AND 75 IP]
     
    • STARTING PITCHERS MUST COMPLETE A MINIMUM OF 5 INNINGS UNLESS THEIR GRADE IS REDUCED AS NOTED BELOW (SEE GRADE REDUCTION)
     
    • STARTING PITCHERS MAY ONLY COMPLETE A MAXIMUM OF 11 INNINGS AFTER WHICH THEY MUST BE RELIEVED
     
    • PITCHERS WILL BE GRADED THROUGH 14 INNINGS, FROM THE TOP OF THE 15th INNING UNTIL THE END OF THE GAME ALL PITCHERS WILL BE STRAIGHT GRADE “D” WITH NO LETTERED CONTROL RATINGS (K, R, W, X, Y, Z, ZZ)
     
    • REGULAR APBA BASIC GAME PITCHER GRADE ADVANCEMENT & REDUCTION WILL BE USED
     
    GRADE ADVANCEMENT
     
    GRADE D PITCHES 5 INNINGS WITHOUT ALLOWING AN EARNED RUN WILL ADVANCE TO GRADE C
     
    GRADE C PITCHES 6 INNINGS WITHOUT ALLOWING AN EARNED RUN WILL ADVANCE TO GRADE B
     
    GRADE B PITCHES 7 INNINGS WITHOUT ALLOWING AN EARNED RUN WILL ADVANCE TO GRADE A
     
    PITCHERS ADVANCE ONE LETTER GRADE FOR EACH ADDITIONAL INNING WITHOUT ALLOWING AN EARNED RUN
     
    GRADE REDUCTION
     
    ANY PITCHER THAT ALLOWS 5 EARNED RUNS IN OVER 3 CONSECUTIVE INNINGS IS LOWERED 1 LETTER GRADE
     
    IF PITCHER REMAINS IN-GAME, REDUCE HIS GRADE 1 ADDITIONAL LETTER FOR EVERY 5 EARNED RUNS HE ALLOWS OVER 3 CONSECUTIVE INNINGS
     
    • PITCHERS NOT PART OF THE 3-MAN STARTING ROTATION AND NOT DESIGNATED ONLY AS RELIEVERS (*), MAY PITCH IN “LONG RELIEF” ONLY IN THE EVENT OF GRADE REDUCTION OF THE PREVIOUS PITCHER, OR AFTER THE 14TH INNING
     
    • PITCHERS DESIGNATED ONLY AS RELIEVERS (*) ARE LIMITED TO… 
     
    2 INNINGS OR 6 TOTAL OUTS (1901-1986)
     
    1 INNING OR 3 TOTAL OUTS (1987-PRESENT)
     
    • RELIEVERS WILL NOT BE UPGRADED REGARDLESS OF WHEN THEY ENTER THE GAME OR WHETHER THEY FACE A LEFTY OR A RIGHTY