Breaking down all the rules at the Little League World Series

During the 2022 Little League World Series, Hawaii cruised to the 2022 title, winning its six games by a combined 60-5 score. The team’s undefeated run included four double-digit wins and a championship victory that only required four innings.

Why did the title game finish before the conventional six innings? Well, Hawaii’s dominance made it so the Little League “Run Rule” took effect.

Let’s take a look at the “Run Rule” and some other details from the Little League rulebook:

What is the mercy rule in the Little League World Series?

For lopsided games, Little League has a “Run Rule,” the preferred term rather than the “mercy rule” or “slaughter rule.”

If at the end of three innings, or two and one-half innings if the home team is ahead, one team has a lead of 15 or more runs, the manager of the team with fewer runs will concede the victory to the winning team.

If at the end of four innings, or three and one-half innings if the home team is ahead, one team has a lead of 10 or more runs, the manager of the team with fewer runs will concede the victory to the winning team. This took effect in the 2022 championship game when Hawaii took a 13-3 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning against Curacao.

What are the rules for the 2023 Little League World Series?

Here were some notable changes to the Official Regulations, Playing Rules and Operating Policies for the Little League World Series, per the Little League website:

Continuous Batting Order

Starting with the 2023 season, the previous Tournament Mandatory Play regulation has been replaced by Continuous Batting Order (CBO) at all levels of play (excluding the Senior League Baseball and Senior League Softball Divisions). Use of CBO will allow managers to have free substitutions, whereby players can go in and out of the game more freely and have more opportunities to play defense and bat.

Managers and Coaches in the Dugout

Each tournament team will be required to have a minimum 12-player roster, and any team with fewer than 12 players will require a waiver from the District Administrator. Regardless of the roster size, each team is permitted to have up to three eligible managers and coaches in the dugout.

Courtesy Runner and Special Pinch Runner

Utilizing Continuous Batting Order identifies each player as a starter in the batting order and therefore eliminates the option to use a Special Pinch Runner. Instead, a Courtesy Runner may be used anytime there are two outs and the pitcher and/or catcher are on base. The Courtesy Runner must be the player in the batting order who made the last out.