1. YOU MUST HAVE AT LEAST FOUR GIRLS AND FOUR GUYS ON THE FIELD WHEN YOU ARE ON DEFENSE.
If you cannot field four girls or four guys then your team forfeits and you play for fun. The forfeit is automatic and no deals will be brokered. Just have some fun and play anyhow. Please note: You CAN recruit a spare player or two from the league to fill in for that game if you only have three. This is not to mean if three people from your team show up you grab the #1 team and let them play for you. One or two per sex is fine. This CAN be interpreted more leniently during the season. Let your commish know ahead of time if you do. Playoff time this rule is carved in stone.
2. THERE ARE NO RULES ABOUT GUY/GIRL KICKING ORDERS.
You can kick all of your guys followed by all of your girls. You can alternate. You can go two guys then a girl. It does NOT matter. The only stipulation is that all players must kick in the same order through the lineup and all players must kick before anyone kicks again. The only way to argue kicking out of order is to exchange lineups before the game, so if you’re concerned do so.
3. GUYS AND GIRLS CAN BUNT.
This rule is literally in the third sentence of the WAKA rules book. “... and bunting is allowed so get a good catcher on your team.” You don’t have to like it but you might want to learn to do it and defend it if you want to win. The ball does not have to travel a certain distance to be legal either.
4. RUNNERS CAN LEAVE ON FIRST TOUCH, NOT JUST WHEN IT’S CAUGHT.
You have a guy on second and your kicker pops one to the Right Fielder. It bounces off his head so your runner takes off for third. WOAH! The Center Fielder was able to run over and make a diving catch before it hit the ground. Does this mean your runner has to go back and touch second? NO! You can leave when the ball is touched whether or not it was caught.
5. THE STRIKE ZONE IS 12” ON BOTH SIDES OF THE PLATE AND 12” HIGH (roughly a ball width). THE BALL MUST BOUNCE TWICE BEFORE IT GETS TO HOME PLATE OR IT’S A BALL.
Pretty self-explanatory. If any part of the ball touches 1 foot outside of the plate it’s a strike. If you’re not comfortable judging one foot, then use the width of the ball as a guide. If the ball is over a ball-width away from the plate then it’s a ball. Also, the ball must start to roll OR bounce at least twice BEFORE touching home plate or it’s a ball as well. It’s not automatic though so the kicker can choose to kick it if they want.
6. FOUL BALL RULES
- Fouls and Strikes are separate.
- Fly Balls that hit something are a DEAD BALL FOUL and cannot be caught for an out.
- YOU MAY TAG UP ON A CAUGHT FOUL BALL.
- Balls that are touched in fair territory but land foul are fair. This works in reverse as well. This is determined by the location of the player’s feet, not the location of the ball.
- Any ball deemed “foul” due to kicking in front of the plate, out of the box, double-kick*, and above the knee can be caught for an out just like any other ball kicked legally into foul territory. Runners may tag.
7. ONE BASE ON OVERTHROWS DOES NOT INCLUDE OVERTHROWS IN THE FIELD OF PLAY.
If you are running to first and the ball flies over the first baseman’s head you get one base and must stop. This would be second base, not third. This is not a guarantee so they can still try to get you out. If they throw the ball into play to get the runner out, the one base rule is gone and play may resume. If the overthrow occurs at second for instance, and the ball rolls into the outfield this ball is still in the field of play and not considered an overthrow. The runners may advance as they please. Deflections or kicks that leave the field of play are treated as overthrows.
8. THE MAGICAL, INVISIBLE ENCROACHMENT LINE.
This line extends from First Base to Third Base. NO player in the field may be in front of this line until THE BALL IS KICKED. Pitchers must pitch from BEHIND the pitching strip and stay behind that line until it is kicked. EVEN IF YOU KNOW THEY’RE GOING TO BUNT! Catchers must stay behind the kicker at all times, not to the side, directly behind until it is kicked.
9. YES, IF A BALL TOUCHES A RUNNER, EVEN BY ACCIDENT, THEY’RE OUT. YES, YOU CAN PEG PEOPLE, BUT NOT IN THE HEAD --- UNLESS THEY’RE SLIDING!
The ball is like a game of hot potato for runners. If it touches you when you’re off the base or should be off the base you are OUT. If the first baseman drops the throw but it deflects into the runner’s leg before they get to first they are OUT. If you throw the ball and it hits the runner they are out. If the kicker kicks the ball and hits their runner the runner is OUT. If a kicker kicks the ball and runs into their own kick just outside of the box they’re OUT. And finally, if you hit someone in the head with the ball they are safe, unless the runner is sliding. At this point the “head shot” rule is no longer in effect. Peg away.
10. BASES ARE THE POINT WHERE THEY SHOULD BE, NOT NECESSARILY WHERE THEY ARE – What?
Yes, that’s right, where they should be. Bases get moved during plays all of the time. Runners are considered safe if they’re touching the spot where the base should be and fielders get the out if they have their foot on the spot the base should be as well. Doesn’t happen often but still becomes an issue. The physical base is just a courtesy marker. This doesn’t mean you measure after each play, this means if someone slid and the base when flying they don’t have to get to the base three feet away to be safe. Same thing goes for defenders.
11. VARIATIONS ARE NOT AN OBLIGATION
Basically, there are a lot of rules variations that float around these leagues. It is not the obligation of ANY team to play them. If your team wants a “beer-in-hand” game it is not your opponent’s obligation to accommodate. WAKA rules are written the way they are for a reason: that’s the game we offer you. Besides, rule 1.03 prohibits alcohol on the field anyhow. Just remember, opposing captains that don’t want to play a variation are not being rude for saying “no,” you’re being rude for giving them crap if *feel free to substitute “rude” for “a douchebag”
12. THERE IS NO INFIELD FLY RULE
Infielders don’t have to catch a kicked ball but you DO have to run if you’re on first. There is no penalty for dropping an infield fly, there is no penalty for purposefully NOT catching an infield fly, there is nothing against letting it drop right by first, tagging the person on the bag then touching the base for a double play. It’s a great play.
Finally, if you have NO idea what the rules are, have never played sports and literally have no idea how to officiate a game, DON’T. Your team needs to send people to ref a game, who know what they’re doing. Refs aren’t just figures on the field to look official, they are there to make sure the game runs smoothly and to clear up any disputes. It’s 45-minutes of your time during a few games per season so please pay attention, keep your phone in your pocket and ask the teams for a beer. It’s your fee. You would expect the same from your refs.
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