ASA time limit rule

[hurdler52]

OK, top of the 6th inning, 2 outs, 2 runners on, home team up by 1. The home team manager comes up to the ump and tells him the time limit is up ( which was true) and claims the game is over. What's the ruling?

 

[BiggDogg34]

As long as the inning has already started before the time limit, it must be played out. Whether the Home team is up by 1 or up by 7.

 

[NCASAUmp]

As long as the inning has already started before the time limit, it must be played out. Whether the Home team is up by 1 or up by 7.

Usually, you are correct. However, it depends on what the league says. ASA's rules for Championship Play only deal with when the clock starts, not what happens when it ends.

Most leagues say that you finish the inning you're in, though there are a number of leagues that use "drop dead" time limits. Once time expires, game over, regardless of who's batting or who is ahead.

 

[oppo]

Usually, you are correct. However, it depends on what the league says. ASA's rules for Championship Play only deal with when the clock starts, not what happens when it ends.

Most leagues say that you finish the inning you're in, though there are a number of leagues that use "drop dead" time limits. Once time expires, game over, regardless of who's batting or who is ahead.

That is screwed up.

 

[bb666b77]

Usually, you are correct. However, it depends on what the league says. ASA's rules for Championship Play only deal with when the clock starts, not what happens when it ends.

Most leagues say that you finish the inning you're in, though there are a number of leagues that use "drop dead" time limits. Once time expires, game over, regardless of who's batting or who is ahead.

yeah,have played where when the time was up,when it was drop dead no matter what the score.it sucked,we found that it was better to be the visitor in those type games.

 

[corsmr50]

yeah,have played where when the time was up,when it was drop dead no matter what the score.it sucked,we found that it was better to be the visitor in those type games.

we prefer visitor ALL the time, and we don't have time limits around here. Reason being is that we like to jump all over the other team right from the start and make them play catch up the whole time, and it helps to demoralize a team when you come out and put 5-8 on them in the first inning. Although it does backfire from time to time, but as of now its worked out to our benefit doing it that way

 

[BretMan]

yeah,have played where when the time was up,when it was drop dead no matter what the score.it sucked,we found that it was better to be the visitor in those type games.

Not always.

I can think of several scenarios where being the visitor offers no advantage in a "drop dead" game. It can still be a crapshoot either way.

This happened in one of my games yesterday...

At the end of the fifth inning the home team was leading 3-1. In the top of the sixth inning, the visitors scored four runs and led 5-3. In the bottom of the inning, the home team had nobody on base and two outs when the clock expired.

Most likely, if the last inning had lasted about another minute the visitors would have won. But since the clock ran out before the home team could complete their at-bat, the score reverted back to the previous inning. Home team won 3-1.

Kind of sucked to be the visiting team in that one!

A for the original question...

By standard ASA rules you finish the inning once time expires. But, as noted, individual leagues are free to adopt any game-ending procedures they wish. If your league uses the "drop dead" time limit, then the correct procedure here would be to revert back to the score at the end of the previous inning.

 

[Gulf Coast Blue]

I have seen many variations of the drop dead time limit. Finish the half inning, finish the batter, stop right now, etc. The way Bretman described is the most common, but I have seen in pool play that the score is not reverted back to the previous inning too. Some crazy things that TD's will do. I personally have never liked it......but can see where it can be useful in keeping a large tournament on track for pool play.

Joel

 

[NCASAUmp]

Not always.

I can think of several scenarios where being the visitor offers no advantage in a "drop dead" game. It can still be a crapshoot either way.

This happened in one of my games yesterday...

At the end of the fifth inning the home team was leading 3-1. In the top of the sixth inning, the visitors scored four runs and led 5-3. In the bottom of the inning, the home team had nobody on base and two outs when the clock expired.

Most likely, if the last inning had lasted about another minute the visitors would have won. But since the clock ran out before the home team could complete their at-bat, the score reverted back to the previous inning. Home team won 3-1.

Kind of sucked to be the visiting team in that one!

A for the original question...

By standard ASA rules you finish the inning once time expires. But, as noted, individual leagues are free to adopt any game-ending procedures they wish. If your league uses the "drop dead" time limit, then the correct procedure here would be to revert back to the score at the end of the previous inning.

Just a slight clarification. The ASA rule BretMan mentions was written specifically for JO fast pitch (ie., girls' fast pitch). The same rule only defines when the clock actually starts, but does not address what happens when time expires for slow pitch (including 16"), men's fast pitch or men's modified pitch.

Tournaments that use a time limit (including some Nationals) should establish from the very beginning what happens when the time expires. Some tournaments (including Nationals) will finish out that inning, others will finish the inning and play one more. It all depends on the Tournament Director, absent anything specific in the ASA Code.

 

[BretMan]

That is a good point and it didn't occur to me off the top of my head. The ASA rule book only addresses time limits in fastpitch play. From a rule book standpoint (ie: championship tournament play) it is assumed that all slow pitch games are played without time limits and for a full seven innings (barring weather, darkness, forfeiture, etc.).

So...if your league is using a time limit, they are adopting that rule on their own- which they have a right to do. But in adopting such a rule, they should be crystal clear on how the rule is to be administered, way before the teams ever hit the field. Simply, this is a question that can only be answered by the folks that run your league. There are many variations of how time limits might be used and they're the only ones who know for sure what their intentions might be.

 

[NCASAUmp]

That is a good point and it didn't occur to me off the top of my head. The ASA rule book only addresses time limits in fastpitch play. From a rule book standpoint (ie: championship tournament play) it is assumed that all slow pitch games are played without time limits and for a full seven innings (barring weather, darkness, forfeiture, etc.).

So...if your league is using a time limit, they are adopting that rule on their own- which they have a right to do. But in adopting such a rule, they should be crystal clear on how the rule is to be administered, way before the teams ever hit the field. Simply, this is a question that can only be answered by the folks that run your league. There are many variations of how time limits might be used and they're the only ones who know for sure what their intentions might be.

And in BretMan's defense, he mostly calls fast pitch these days, so it's easy to forget that time limits are specific to that level of play.

 

[BretMan]

And in BretMan's defense, he mostly calls fast pitch these days, so it's easy to forget that time limits are specific to that level of play.

Nowadays, it's pretty much all fastpitch- or baseball. Haven't worked a slow pitch game in two years!

 

[bb666b77]

Not always.

I can think of several scenarios where being the visitor offers no advantage in a "drop dead" game. It can still be a crapshoot either way.

This happened in one of my games yesterday...

At the end of the fifth inning the home team was leading 3-1. In the top of the sixth inning, the visitors scored four runs and led 5-3. In the bottom of the inning, the home team had nobody on base and two outs when the clock expired.

Most likely, if the last inning had lasted about another minute the visitors would have won. But since the clock ran out before the home team could complete their at-bat, the score reverted back to the previous inning. Home team won 3-1.

Kind of sucked to be the visiting team in that one!

A for the original question...

By standard ASA rules you finish the inning once time expires. But, as noted, individual leagues are free to adopt any game-ending procedures they wish. If your league uses the "drop dead" time limit, then the correct procedure here would be to revert back to the score at the end of the previous inning.

I have seen many variations of the drop dead time limit. Finish the half inning, finish the batter, stop right now, etc. The way Bretman described is the most common, but I have seen in pool play that the score is not reverted back to the previous inning too. Some crazy things that TD's will do. I personally have never liked it......but can see where it can be useful in keeping a large tournament on track for pool play.

Joel

this what we played,no revert,just what the score was when time ran out.and yes i never have liked it myself.

 

[BretMan]

this what we played,no revert,just what the score was when time ran out.and yes i never have liked it myself.

That is one time limit variation that I think is total BS.

Reverting back to the previous inning, or finishing the inning you're in, are both based on the notion that each team must have an equal number of at-bats. That is, an equal number of opportunities to either lose or win the game.

If the visiting team goes ahead in the top half of an inning, but the home team doesn't get to bat again because the clock expired, you have an unfair system in place, one that gives one team a huge advantage over the other.

I would be inclined not to join a league that used such a game-ending procedure. That really defeats the purpose of the rules and structure of the game to provide a level playing field for both teams.

 

[CountryFinacial]

asa time limit

finish the inning

 

[NCASAUmp]

finish the inning

Again, as we've said, that's USUALLY the case, but not always. For all classifications OTHER then girls' (Junior Olympic) fast pitch, ASA has no specific rule for what happens when the time limit expires. It's up to the TD to decide.

 

[bb666b77]

That is one time limit variation that I think is total BS.

Reverting back to the previous inning, or finishing the inning you're in, are both based on the notion that each team must have an equal number of at-bats. That is, an equal number of opportunities to either lose or win the game.

If the visiting team goes ahead in the top half of an inning, but the home team doesn't get to bat again because the clock expired, you have an unfair system in place, one that gives one team a huge advantage over the other.

I would be inclined not to join a league that used such a game-ending procedure. That really defeats the purpose of the rules and structure of the game to provide a level playing field for both teams.

we had one of our senior tourneys a couple years back go to the death time b/c of rain problems,we told the TD that we would never play that again,we would rather play 1-pitch than that.