ALLBALL uses the rules set by National Slopitch Athletics Canada (NSA). This rulebook is meant to amend and overwrite some of the rules set by NSA. This rulebook only contains ALLBALL-relevant rules that are DIFFERENT from the NSA rules. In the case where information in this rulebook contradicts the NSA rulebook, this rulebook is to be followed.


ALLBALL is a casual league where rules are meant to maintain the flow of the game and ensure fairness across all games. In the case where there is a rule dispute, the umpire makes a call and that call is to be followed. There should never be a situation in which a game does not progress in a timely manner because of a rule dispute. In some cases, the umpire may make a call that contradicts this rulebook or the NSA rulebook. In both cases, the umpire’s call is final and to be followed, even if it is not consistent with a written rule. By no means should a rule ever be exploited to gain an advantage. Umpires are present to ensure flow of the game, and nothing will ever take precedent over an umpires’ call.

1.0 Roster & Lineups

Intent: In the spirit of inclusivity, we feel it is not appropriate to consider a team to have an advantage based on the amount of a specific gender they have on the field. ALLBALL strives to provide equal playing time and opportunity to all participants no matter their skill level, and regardless of their gender. It is considered unsportsmanlike to strategically field only your strongest players at the expense of your weaker players. Coincidences happen, but any patterns that emerge will be addressed by the umpire and league immediately.


1.1 An ALLBALL roster consists of 11-14 regular players who have agreed to TERMS and paid the league fee.


1.2 There are no on-field gender requirements.


1.3 There are no gender distribution requirements in the batting order.


1.4 Every player on the roster should receive an equal amount of defensive playing time, unless the player explicitly agrees otherwise.


1.5 If a team cannot field at least 10 players for a game, they must notify ALLBALL ASAP

  1. The team is allowed to use a substitute player from outside the league. However, this player must fill out the substitute player registration form, which is provided to all captains.
  2. If the team cannot find a substitute player, ALLBALL will search for a substitute player on another team in the league that is not participating in the game in question.

1.6 If a team cannot field 7 or more players by 15 minutes after the scheduled game time, the game is forfeit and the opposing team is awarded a 7-0 victory.


1.7 A batting order must be established before the team’s first at-bat, and be followed throughout the game. Every player on the team’s roster that is present must appear somewhere on the order. A batter may not be moved up or down the batting order at any point.

  1. If a batter is late or leaves the game early, they may be skipped as necessary

2.0 Game Structure

2.1 Each game is allotted a 90 minute time period. A game immediately ends when either:

  1. 90 minutes has passed
  2. The “last inning” has been completed
  3. A mercy rule has been called
  4. The umpire deems the playing area unfit for play (inclement weather, acts of God, hazards on the field, etc)

2.2 If a game is ended under rule 2.1d with less than 4 complete innings played, the game shall be considered incomplete and rescheduled at another date, if possible. If 4 or more complete innings have been played, the game is considered complete and the score should be reported as of the last complete inning.


2.3 With 20 minutes left in the allotted time period, a “20 minute warning” will be called, making both teams aware of the possibility of the game ending due to time. If the current inning ends within 5 minutes of the 20 minute warning, a new inning shall be started. If the current inning is still in progress 5 minutes after the 20 minute warning, “last inning” will be called and no new inning shall be started.


2.4 If the time period expires before a team has completed their at-bat, the game is immediately over and the score is reverted to the score at the end of the last inning completed.


2.5 “Last inning” shall be declared by the umpire at the start of an inning when:

  1. An inning is currently in progress 5 minutes after the 20 minute warning
  2. The game is entering the 7th inning.

2.6 In the first inning of each game, each starting pitcher has the opportunity to throw 5 practice pitches. During this time, other defensive players are free to throw a ball around as they please.

  1. At the conclusion of the 5th pitch, or when the pitcher alerts the umpire that they are ready to begin, “balls in” will be called and all balls in the playing field shall be removed.
  2. This practice time will be given to any new pitcher who enters the game in any inning, but will not be given in subsequent innings.

2.7 If any of the following conditions are met, a mercy rule is called and the game shall be reported as the score when the call was made:

  1. A team is winning by 20 runs after the 4th inning
  2. A team is winning by 15 runs after the 5th inning

When a mercy rule is called, the game is officially over but the game continues unofficially. It is at the discretion of the umpire to decide how to progress with the game.

3.0 Pitching

Intent: The intention of pitching in ALLBALL is to always provide the batter with plenty of opportunity to hit the ball. Rather than pitch-to-your-own-team formats where the pitcher position is absent from the defense, ALLBALL opts for a hybrid model where the same types of pitches are being thrown, while also allowing the pitcher to field the ball on defense.


3.1 The defending team must provide a player to play the pitcher position. Pitcher is a defensive position that can field the ball just as any other defensive position would.


3.2 In order to begin a legal pitch, the pitcher must ensure the batter has both feet in the batter’s box, and has received confirmation that the batter is ready to receive a pitch. Any pitch that occurs before the batter is deemed ready will result in a no pitch.

  1. Confirmation that the batter is ready to receive a pitch can come in the form of a head nod, verbal communication, or eye contact for more than 2 seconds.

3.3 A legal pitch is a slow to moderate speed pitch that is lobbed towards home plate with a lob of no higher than 10 feet.


3.4 The windup may involve any amount of steps deemed necessary, as long as one foot is in the pitching area while the ball is released.


3.5 Windmill pitches are not permitted.


3.6 A strike shall be called if the ball crosses home plate within the strike zone. The strike zone is defined as:

  1. The area above home plate bound at the top by the batter’s shoulders, the bottom by the batter’s knees, and the sides by either edge of home plate

3.7 A ball shall be called if the ball does not cross home plate within the strike zone.


3.8 All balls and strikes shall be called by the home plate umpire. Balls and strikes are not appealable, and any calls made by the umpire are final.


3.9 Any attempt to intentionally make a pitch more difficult to hit will result in an automatic ball to the hitter. Examples of this are:

  1. Increasing velocity
  2. Putting spin on the ball in an inconsistent manner
  3. Intentionally throwing bad balls to good hitters
  4. Faking pitches to throw the batter’s timing off

3.10 The intention of the pitcher should always be to let the batter have as many opportunities to hit the ball as possible. 


3.11 The catcher may position themselves anywhere they would like, as long as they are behind home plate. There must be sufficient room for the umpire to stand behind them. They must also put themselves in a position where they can catch pitches coming in, whether bouncing, rolling, or in mid-air.


3.12 Any player playing the pitcher position must wear facial protection. There are no exceptions to this rule. No pitch is to be thrown to a live batter without facial protection. This includes but is not limited to fielding masks, catcher masks, umpire masks, dedicated pitching masks, hockey helmets (with cage), and lacrosse helmets.

4.0 Offense

4.1 Any ball in fair territory, no matter the distance, is a live ball.


4.2 If the batter is in a 2 strike count and hits a foul ball, the count shall remain at 2 strikes. It is not possible to strike out on a ball that lands in foul territory.


4.3 If a batted ball strikes the pitcher or an infielder with significant force, and the ball is not caught, the play is declared dead and all runners must return to their original base.

  1. Significant force shall be judged at the discretion of the home plate umpire. This decision is not appealable.

4.4 Sliding into a base is not permitted.


4.5 The team at bat may score a maximum of 7 runs per inning. 

  1. When the 7th run scores before 3 outs have been recorded, the inning is immediately over.
  2. The batter-baserunner who hit the ball must safely make it to first base.
  3. This rule does not apply in the last inning, where an unlimited amount of runs can be scored.

4.6 A team may only hit 3 home runs more than the opposing team at any time

  1. A plus minus system shall be used to track home runs. A home run for is a plus, and a home run against is a minus.
  2. Example: If Team A has hit 5 home runs, Team B can hit up to 8 home runs as long as Team A remains at 5 home runs. If team C has hit 1 home run, Team D can hit up to 4 home runs as long as Team C remains at 1 home run.
  3. Any home runs that occur while a team is not permitted any home runs shall result in the batter being awarded first base. Any runners that are forced may advance.
  4. Home runs that are not permitted do not count towards the team total.

4.7 From the moment an infield player has full control of the ball, no baserunners are permitted to advance from their current base.

  1. Baserunners who attempt to advance after an infielder has full control shall return to the base they left from.

Intent: This rule is meant to discourage baserunners from “openly challenging” fielders. While a weaker player may have control of the ball and a baserunner can likely beat out the throw, it is against the spirit of the league to do so and is therefore not permitted.


4.8 No baserunner may advance from 3rd base if the ball is located within 10 feet of the scoring line. 

  1. If the baserunner has already passed 3rd base when the ball is thrown in the vicinity of home plate, they are permitted to attempt to score.
  2. If a baserunner advances from 3rd base after the ball has ended up behind home plate and crosses the commitment line, the play is declared dead and all baserunners must return to the last base they touched.

Intent: This rule is to protect both baserunners and catchers from collisions around the home plate area. If a ball is overthrown to home plate, there’s a likely chance the catcher ends up chasing it near the scoring line.


4.9 Baserunners may only leave the base they are occupying at the moment the batter makes contact with the ball, and no earlier. Leaving a base early will result in the baserunner being called out.


4.10 A baserunner that deems themselves unfit to run may use a courtesy runner. The runner used shall be the last player to exit the playing field due to being called out or crossing the scoring line. The use of a courtesy runner shall be clearly declared to the umpire.

  1. There is no limit to the amount of courtesy runners a team can use.
  2. If the runner is occupying a base, the courtesy runner replaces that runner on that base.
  3. If the courtesy runner is being used for a player at bat, the courtesy runner shall take a starting position with one hand on the fence. This position should be the point at which the shortest line can be drawn from home plate to the fence. They may begin running at the exact moment the bat makes contact with the ball, and no sooner.

4.11 The team at bat must provide a base coach at 1st base, as well as a base coach at 3rd base. This can be rotated throughout the inning as the batting order progresses.


5.0 Defense

5.1 If there is no immediate play incoming, defensive players must stay clear of the bases and base paths.

  1. This includes the white safety part of 1st base, as baserunners looking to advance to 2nd base must have a clear path.

5.2 If a defensive player is standing directly on a base when no play is incoming, the base is considered touched when the baserunner comes within 5 feet of it and the baserunner may advance to the next base at their own risk.


Intent: Mistakes happen, but we want to avoid collisions at all costs. If a defensive player is mistakenly standing on a base when there is no play to be made, we’re allowing the base runner to pass that bag without physically touching it. The base runner is encouraged to get as close to the bag as they safely can, and then either advance or safely occupy the base in question.


5.3 Defensive players must assume a position on the field before the ball is hit. After the ball is hit, they are free to move anywhere on the field.

  1. Infielders may play anywhere on the field, as long as there are no more than 2 infielders on either side of 2nd base.
  2. Rovers and outfielders may only assume starting position in the grass. They cannot be touching the infield before the ball is hit.

6.0 Season Structure

6.1 A season consists of 1 pre-season game, followed by 16 regular season games, and capped off with a playoff tournament at the end of the regular season.


6.2 A win provides the winning team with 2 points, while a tie provides both teams with 1 point.


6.3 At the end of the regular season, the standings shall be determined using the following criteria listed in order of priority:

  1. Total points
  2. Head to head record
  3. Score differential
  4. Total wins
  5. Score for
  6. Score against
  7. Games back
  8. Win percentage

6.4 The playoffs will be played in a tournament format following the regular season. Two pools of 3 teams will be created, which are chosen by the team that finishes in 1st place in the regular season standings. The higher seeded regular season team will always be home team throughout the tournament.

  1. Each team will play the other 2 teams in their pool
  2. Each team will then play a single cross-pool game. The 1st seed in each pool will play the 3rd seed in the other pool. The 2nd seeds in both pools will play the 3rd seeds in the other pool.
  3. The top 2 seeds in each pool will play each other in the semi-finals
  4. The 3rd seeds in each pool will play each other for 5th place
  5. The loser of each semi-final will play each other for 3rd place
  6. The winner of each semi-final will play each other for the championship