Adults May NOT Warmup a Pitcher

As you will see below, this is a topic that is addressed multiple times in the rulebook. It is also a topic that has raised the following legitimate question over the years: Why not? Jeepers ump, we are simply trying to speed things up a bit. How can we speed things up, if they won’t let coaches warm up the pitchers? I have 4 answers to those questions:

  1. Your playing days are over. It is now time for the kids to play and to learn how a ballgame is run. Your job as coach is to teach the kids their jobs and see to it that your players handle all their responsibilities.
  2. Having an adult warmup a pitcher can be a much more confidence-boosting experience than if a kid is warming up a pitcher (especially in AA and AAA). You may not agree with that, but it may result in an unfair advantage…and the rules are 100% about preventing even the potential of a team gaining an unfair advantage.
  3. It’s a rule, gosh darn it!!!!!
  4. There are several ways to speed things up between innings. One is to have your players ready to move to defense as soon as your 3rd offensive out is recorded. This means making sure that everyone already knows where they are going to play in the next inning. If your catcher is not at bat or on base, once there are 2 outs, he/she could go ahead and get the shin guards on. If the catcher is at bat or on base, you can have one of the other players warm up the pitcher while the catcher suits up. The player warming up the pitcher does not need to be in full gear. They must have on a catcher’s helmet with dangling throat guard and in baseball they must be wearing a catcher’s mitt.

As to not allowing your coach to warm up the pitcher; the umpire is required to enforce the rules as provided in the LL Rule Book. Multiple times it is stated that coaches shall not warm up pitchers. We find this first under Regulation XIV and then again under Rule 3.09. Furthermore, we find under LL Rule 3.09 that managers and coaches are not to warm up a pitcher at any time. Please see information provided below.

LL Regulation XIV -- FIELD DECORUM:
(f) Managers and coaches shall not warm up pitchers.

From the LL Umpire Rules and Instruction Manual:
INSTRUCTOR COMMENTS: Refer to rule 3.09 which states again that adults are not to warm up pitchers on the field, bullpen or elsewhere.

LL Rule 3.09
Players, managers and coaches of the participating teams shall not address, or mingle with spectators, nor sit in the stands during a game in which they are engaged. Managers or coaches must not warm up a pitcher at home plate or in the bullpen or elsewhere at any time. They may, however, stand by to observe a pitcher during warm-up in the bullpen.

From the LL Umpire Rules and Instruction Manual:
INSTRUCTOR COMMENTS: However, the responsibility of warming up pitchers is only that of one of the players. This includes before and during games.