The 10-Run Rule in Little League Baseball
Based in Omaha, Nebraska, Kirby Spencer McDonald is the founder, compliance officer, and managing partner at Illuminate Financial. He established the business in 1999 and incorporated the company in 2002. When he is not recruiting and training new financial advisors, Kirby Spencer McDonald enjoys leading a physically active lifestyle. He runs, cycles, and golfs, and has coached his grandson’s baseball and football teams.
The role of a youth sports coach is to teach young athletes the basic rules and strategies of a sport, while at the same time using these lessons to impart valuable life skills, such as the concepts of teamwork and fair play. In youth sports such as baseball, these objectives all come into play teaching players about the mercy rule.
In America, Little League baseball maintains a 10- and 15-run rule as a means of maintaining a fair and competitive sporting atmosphere. These ideas are particularly relevant to the sports of baseball and softball, as the games feature no time limits or scoring objectives, meaning games can theoretically continue without end.
Under the original 10-run rule, the manager of a team trailing by 10 or more runs after three full innings of play is expected to concede victory to the opponent. There are several variations on the rule depending on the age group and venue, but the 10-run rule is mandatory at the international level of play.
In 2018, Little League adjusted the language of the 10-run rule to include leads of 15 runs, allowing games to continue despite teams amassing relatively large leads early in games.
Due to these rules, coaches should teach players the skills needed to avoid falling behind by 10 or more runs. However, players must also learn how to act appropriately in victory and defeat. Little League teams are required to shake hands with opponents following a game, regardless of whether or not the decision resulted from the invocation of the 10- or 15-run rule. Coaches should use this opportunity to ensure that they have developed respectful winners and gracious losers.
