Amarillo Area Rotary Baseball League

Protest Policy

(3-4 Knee High does not have umpires; therefore, there will be no protests in 3-4 Knee High)

JUDGMENT CALLS may NOT be protested.  RULES INTERPRETATIONS may be protested.

Examples of judgment calls that may NOT be protested: 

Ball/strike/check swing

Hit by pitch or not

Fair/foul

Safe/out

Catch/no catch

Balk/no balk

Infield fly or not

Runner missed a base/proper tag ups

Interference/obstruction

Collisions/contact/malicious contact

Runner out of base path

Examples of rules interpretations that may be protested:

Base awards after a ruled dead ball (not whether dead or not)

Improper handling of batter out of order

Improper ruling of maximum runs per inning rule (5-6, 7-8, 9-10)/game run rule (11-13)

Dropped 3rd strike (not whether dropped or not, but where runners are allowed if ruled dropped)

     (if applicable)

Substitution/re-entry rules (if applicable)

Rulings on automatic outs (if applicable)

Misapplication of game ending rules

Proper way to record protest:

Head coach must advise umpires of protest BEFORE THE NEXT PITCH OR ATTEMPTED BASEBALL PLAY 

     (for example, an attempted pickoff throw to a base).  If not done properly, THERE IS NO PROTEST.

Umpires will have recorded in the LEAGUE SCOREBOOK all details of the protest (basis of protest,

     score, inning, outs, who is batting, who is on base, game time left)

Game will then resume and be completed

TO FORMALIZE THE PROTEST, THE HEAD COACH MUST PUT THE PROTEST IN WRITING TO THE LEAGUE WITHIN 24 HOURS AFTER THE GAME VIA AN EMAIL TO  .  Coach MUST advise in the email when he can meet a board member at Rotary Park within the next 24 hours after the protest email to deliver the $100.00 protest fee IN CASH.  After timely receipt of the $100.00 CASH protest fee, the Rules Committee will review the protest.  The protest may not be just “the umpire made the wrong call.”  The protest MUST state the specific AARBL Rule No. or baseball Rule No. you say has been misapplied, with details of the alleged misapplication.  If you win the protest, you will get the $100.00 fee back.  If you win the protest, the results of the completed game may possibly not be changed. For example, you are down 12 runs with 1 out in the last inning – in this instance, the game end would remain the same as played.  If you lose the protest, the $100.00 protest fee is donated to the league.

AARBL Board of Directors