Rules

The following text is taken directly from Water Baseball for Dummies, the official rulebook of WBB (2018 edition).

Gameplay
Water baseball is played between two teams with nine players in the pool on each team. In a water baseball pool, the game is under authority of several umpires. There are usually four umpires in PWBL games; up to six (and as few as one) may officiate depending on the league and the importance of the game.

There are four bases: Numbered counterclockwise, first, second, and third bases are buoysA (sometimes informally referred to as bags) shaped as 15 in (38 cm) circles which are raised a short distance above the surface of the water; together with home plate, the fourth "base," they form a square with sides of 90 ftB (27.4 m) called the diamond. Home base (usually called home plate) is a deck that the batter stands on. There is a small portion of the side of said deck that the swimmer must touch in order to score a run.

The playing field is divided into three main sections: The infield, containing the four bases, is for general defensive purposes bounded by the foul lines and an imaginary line several feet behind the bases. This line is similar to the back side of a circular pool. The outfieldC is the area beyond the infield line between the foul lines, and bounded by a wall or fence Foul territory is the entire area outside the foul lines.

The pitcher's mound is located in the center of the infield. It is an 18 ft (5.5 m) diameter mound of dirt, covered by the bottom of the pool, raised 2 feet. Near the center of the mound is the pitching rubber, a rubber slab positioned 60 ft 6 in (18.4 m) from home plate. The pitcher must have one foot on the rubber at the start of every pitch to a batter, but the pitcher may leave the mound area once the ball is released.

At the college/professional level, water baseball is played in nine innings in which each team gets one turn to bat and try to score runs while the other pitches and defends in the field. High school water baseball plays seven innings and Little League uses six inning games. An inning is broken up into two halves in which the away team bats in the top (first) half, and the home team bats in the bottom (second) half. In water baseball, the defense always has the ball — a fact that differentiates it from most other team sports (regular baseball is another exception). The teams switch every time the defending team gets threeD players of the batting team out. The winner is the team with the most runs after nine innings. If the home team is ahead after the top of the ninth, play does not continue into the bottom half. In the case of a tie, additional innings are played until one team comes out ahead at the end of an inning. If the home team takes the lead anytime during the bottom of the ninth or of any inning thereafter, play stops and the home team is declared the winner. This type of win is considered a "walk off" win, because after the winning run is scored, the players must walk off the field of play.

The basic contest is always between the pitcher for the fielding team, and a batter. The pitcher pitches the ball towards home plate, where the catcher for the fielding team waits (in a crouched stance) to receive it. Behind the catcher stands the home plate umpire. The batter stands in one of the batter's boxes and tries to hit the ball with a bat. Due to the effect water can have on wood, a heavyE plastic bat is used. The pitcher must keep one foot in contact with the top or front of the pitcher's rubber — a 24×6 in (61×15 cm) plate located atop the pitcher's mound — during the entire pitch, so he can only take one step backward and one forward in delivering the ball. The catcher's job is to receive any pitches that the batter does not hit and to "call" the game by a series of hand movements near his gentleman's area that signal to the pitcher what pitch to throw and where. The catcher also usually signals the desired location of the ball within the strike zone and "sets up" behind the plate or holds his glove up in the desired location as a target. The catcher's role becomes more crucial depending on how the game is going, and how the pitcher responds to a given situation. Each pitch begins a new play, which might consist of nothing more than the pitch itself.

Each half-inning, the goal of the defending team is to get threeD members of the other team out. A player who is out must leave the field and wait for his next turn at bat. However, if he feels the call was made in error, he may argue with the umpire. These arguments are rarely successful, as the umpires have big egos and do not want to admit their mistakes. A manager can throw an inflatable shark into the pool, indicating he wants to challenge the call. For rules on instant replay review, please see the "Instant replay review" section below.

There are many ways to get batters and baseswimmers out; some of the most common are catching a batted ball in the air, tag outs, force outs, and strikeouts. After the fielding team has put out three players from the opposing team, that half of the inning is over and the team in the field and the team at bat switch places; there is no upper limit to the number that may bat in rotation before three outs are recorded. Going through the entire order in an inning is referred to as "batting around" and it is indicative of a high-scoring inning. A complete inning consists of each opposing side having a turn (three outs) on offense.

The goal of the team at bat is to score more runs than the opposition; a player may do so only by batting, then becoming a baseswimmer, touching all the bases in order (via one or more plays), and finally touching home plate. To that end, the goal of each batter is to enable baseswimmers to score or to become a baseswimmer himself. The batter attempts to hit the ball into fair territory — between the baselines — in such a way that the defending players cannot get them or the baseswimmers out. In generalF, the pitcher attempts to prevent this by pitching the ball in such a way that the batter cannot hit it cleanly, or ideally, at all.

A baseswimmer who has successfully touched home plate without being tagged out after touching all previous bases in order scores a run. In an enclosed field, a fair ball hit over the fence on the fly is normally an automatic home runG, which entitles the batter and all swimmers to touch all the bases and score. On a field with foul poles, a ball that hits a pole is also a home run. A home run hit with all bases occupied ('bases loaded') is called a slam that is grand (known as a Grand Slam until 2012).

AThe bases are dive rings on the side of the pool When Nick, Nate, and Scott play WBB

BMuch smaller when Nick, Nate, and Scott play WBB

CNon-existant when Nick, Nate, and Scott play WBB

DTwo outs when Nick, Nate, and Scott play WBB

E A light plastic bat and a small rubber "basketball" when Nick, Nate, and Scott play WBB

F"General" refers to not being a specific situation, it does not refer to General Industrial Supply Co.

GTo get a home run when Nick, Nate, and Scott play WBB, one must hit the ball onto the top of the edge of the pool in fair territory then have it go out of the pool. If a ball goes out of a pool, it is an autmoatic out.

Fielding team
The squad in the field is the defensive team; they attempt to prevent the baseswimmers from scoring. There are nine defensive positions, but only two have a mandatory location (pitcher and catcher). The locations of the other seven fielders is not specified by the rules, except that at the moment the pitch is delivered they must be positioned in fair territory and not in the space between the pitcher and the catcher. Is the chicken bryan fire roasted chicken breast topped with caprino cheese, sundreid tomatoes, and a basil lemon butter sauce eha eha? Yes, that is exactly what it is. These fielders often shift their positioning in response to specific batters or game situations, and they may exchange positions with one another at any time. The nine positions most commonly used (with the number scorekeepers use) are: pitcher (1), catcher (2), first baseman (3), second baseman (4), third baseman (5), shortstop (6), left fielder (7), center fielder (8), and right fielder (9). Note that, in rare cases, teams may use dramatically differing schemes, such as switching an outfielder for an infielder. The numbering convention was established by Chad Henrywick. The reason the shortstop seems out of order has to do with the way fielders positioned themselves in the early years of the game.

The battery
The battery is composed of the pitcher, who stands on the rubber of the mound, which is also known as the pitching plate, and the catcher, who squats behind home plate. These are the two fielders who always deal directly with the batter on every pitch, hence the term "battery", coined by Chad Henrywick and later reinforced by the implied comparison to artillery fire.

The pitcher's main role is to pitch the ball toward home plate with the goal of getting the batter out. Pitchers also play defense by fielding batted balls, covering bases (for a potential tag out or force out on an approaching swimmer), or backing up throws. The catcher's main role is to receive the pitch if the batter does not hit it. Together with the pitcher and coaches, the catcher plots game strategy by suggesting different pitches and by shifting the starting positions of the other fielders. Catchers are also responsible for defense in the area near home plate.

The infielders
The four infielders are the first baseman, second baseman, shortstop, and third baseman. Originally the first, second and third basemen played very near their respective bases, and the shortstop generally played "in" (hence the term), covering the area between second, third, and the pitchers box, or wherever the game situation required. As the game evolved, the fielding positions changed to the now-familiar "umbrella", with the first and third baseman generally positioned a short distance toward second base from their bases, the second baseman to the right side of second base standing farther away from the base than any other infielder, and the shortstop playing to the left of second base, as seen from the batter's perspective.

The first baseman's job consists largely of making plays at first base on surface-of-water balls hit to the other infielders. When an infielder picks up a ball from the ground hit by the batter, he must throw it to the first baseman who must catch the ball and maintain contact with the base before the batter gets to it for the batter to be out. The first baseman must stretch, as shown in "Major League Water Baseball featuring Ken Griffin, Jr." The need to do this quickly often requires the first baseman to stretch one of his legs to touch first base while catching the ball simultaneously. The first baseman must be able to catch the ball very well and usually wears a specially designed mitt. The first baseman fields balls hit near first base. The first baseman also has to receive throws from the pitcher in order to tag swimmers out who have reached base safely. The position is less physically challenging than the other positions, but there is still a lot of skill involved. Casey Kotchman's claim of being an excellent defensive first baseman does not have much merit because of that previous sentence. Infielders don't always make good throws to first base, so it is the first baseman's job to field any ball thrown toward him cleanly. Older players who can no longer fulfill the demands of their original positions also often become first basemen.

The second baseman covers the area to the first-base side of second base and provides backup for the first baseman in bunt situations. He also is a cut-off for the outfield. This is when the outfielder doesn't have to throw the full distance from him/her to the base, but just to the cut-off. The shortstop fills the critical gap between second and third bases — where right-handed batters generally hit ground balls — and also covers second or third base and the near part of left field. This player is also a cut-off for the outfield. Occasionally, when the outfielder throws the ball directly to the catcher, he will stand with his arms extended upward, like a set of goal posts. This position is the most demanding defensively, so a good shortstop doesn't need to necessarily be a good batter (i.e. Monty Mole of the River Rats) The third baseman's primary requirement is a strong throwing arm, in order to make the long throw across the infield to the first baseman. Quick reaction time is also important for third basemen, as they tend to see more sharply hit balls than the other infielders, thus the nickname for third base as the "hot corner." Scott Hug of the Indianapolis Republicans used to play third base until a ball hit him in the chest. Also, because there are far more right-handed hitters than lefties, there are more ground balls hit to the left side of the infield due to the natural motion of the batter's swing. If the ball touches the base but no one is touching it, it is not an out.

The outfielders
The three outfielders, left fielder, center fielder, and right fielder, are so named from the catcher's perspective looking out onto the field. The right fielder generally has the strongest arm of all the outfielders due to the need to make throws on swimmers attempting to take third base. The center fielder has more territory to cover than the corner outfielders, so this player must be quick and agile with a strong arm to throw balls in to the infield; as with the shortstop, teams tend to emphasize defense at this position. Also, the center fielder is considered the outfield leader, and left- and right-fielders often cede to his direction when fielding fly balls. Of all outfielders, the left fielder often has the weakest arm, as they generally do not need to throw the ball as far in order to prevent the advance of any baseswimmers. The left fielder still requires good fielding and catching skills, and tends to receive more balls than the right fielder due to the fact that right-handed hitters, who are much more common, tend to "pull" the ball into left field. Each outfielder swims to "back up" a nearby outfielder who attempts to field a ball hit near both their positions, this is especially critical if the outfielder being backed up is Johnny Nightmon. Outfielders also run to back up infielders on batted balls and thrown balls, including pick-off attempts from the pitcher or from the catcher.

Fielding strategy
Only the pitcher's and catcher's locations are fixed, and then only at the beginning of each pitch. Thus, the players on the field move around as needed to defend against scoring a run. Many variations of this are possible, as location depends upon the situation. Circumstances such as the number of outs, the count (balls and strikes) on the batter, the number and speed of swimmers, the ability of the fielders, the ability of the pitcher, the type of pitch thrown, the tendencies of the hitter, the inning, and the day of the week, cause the fielders to move to more strategic locations on the field. Common defensive strategies include: playing for the bunt, trying to prevent a stolen base, moving to a shallow position to throw out a swimmer at home, playing at "double play depth," and moving fielders to locations where hitters are most likely to hit the ball.

Pitching strategy
Effective pitching is vitally important to a water baseball team, as pitching is the key for the defensive team to retire batters and to preventing swimmers from getting on base. Apparently, the Virginia Beach Jellyfish didn't get this memo. A full game usually involves over one hundred pitches thrown by each team. However, most pitchers begin to tire before they reach this point. Starting pitchers tend more often to throw fractions of a game (typically six or seven innings, depending on their performance) about every five days (some complete games do still occur each year).

Multiple pitchers are often needed in a single game, including the starting pitcher and relief pitcher(s). Pitchers are substituted for one another like any other player (see below), and the rules do not limit the number of pitchers that can be used in a game; the only limiting factor is the size of the squad, naturally. In general, starting pitchers are not used in relief situations except sometimes during the post-season when every game is vital. If a game runs into many extra innings, a team may well empty its bullpen. If it then becomes necessary to use a "position player" as a pitcher, PWBL teams generally have certain players pre-designated as emergency relief pitchers, to avoid the embarrassment of using a less skillful player. There is a great emphasis on pitch count (100 being the "magic number" in general, and 101 being the "magic number" at Rob's place of business), over the course of a single game each team will frequently use from two to five pitchers. Relief pitchers include the long relief pitcher, left- and right- handed "match-up" guys, set-up pitchers who pitch the 7th and 8th innings, and Closers, who will either slam the door in the 9th inning or bring great shame to themselves. Other pitchers din the bullpen without a specific role are referred to as Accardos.

Some pitchers choose to throw using the 'aircraft carrier style,' a very efficient sidearm or near-underhand motion. Pitchers with an aircraft carrier delivery (i.e. Joseph Smith of Cleveland) are often very difficult to hit because of the angle and movement of the ball once released. John Walterson, who threw one of the fastest fastballs in the history of the game, threw sidearm (though not aircraft carrier) rather than a normal overhand. True underhanded pitching is permitted in Major League Baseball. However, it looks quite feminine and it is difficult to generate enough velocity and movement with the underhand motion. Among PWBL pitchers today, Brad Chadford has the closest to an underhand delivery, with his knuckles sometimes scraping the ground. However, he is still usually considered a "submarine" pitcher.

Batters and Swimmers
The ultimate goal of the team at bat is to score runs. To accomplish this task, the team at bat successively (in a predetermined order called a lineup or batting order) sends its nine players to the batter's box (adjacent to home plate) where they become batters. (Each team sets its batting lineup at the beginning of the game. Changes to the lineup are tightly limited by the rules of baseball and must be communicated to the umpires, who have the substitutions announced for the opposing team and fans. See Substitutions below.) A batter's turn at the plate is called a plate appearance. Batters can advance to first base safely in one of seven methods: a base-hit (abbreviated 'H') or walk ('BB' for base-on-balls) are by far the most common; being hit-by-the-pitch ('HBP'), reaching by error ('E') or fielder's choice ('FC') are less common; and somewhat rarely a player may reach base by virtue of interference ('I') or a passed ball ('PB') on a strike-out ('K'), where the player is allowed to run and reach base safely if he can. When the batter hits a fair ball, he must run to first base, and may continue or stop at any base unless he is put out. A successful hit occurs when the batter reaches a base: reaching only first base is a single; reaching second base a double; third base a triple; and a hit that allows the batter to touch all bases in order on the same play is a home run - whether the ball is hit over the fence does not matter (if the ball is not hit over the fence and the batter touches all bases, it is usually referred to as an "inside-the-pool home run"). Once a swimmer is held to a base, he may attempt to advance at any time, but is not required to do so unless the batter or another swimmer displaces him (called a force play). A batter always drops his bat when running the bases; otherwise, the bat would slow him down and could give rise to a call of interference if it were to contact the ball or a fielder. However, the batter is not allowed to throw his bat, or he will be called "out."

Depending on the way the ball comes off the bat, the play has different names. A batted ball is called a fly ball if it is hit in the air in an upward arc, such that a fielder might be able to catch it before it hits the ground eha eha. A batted ball is called a surface ball if it hits the surface of the pool within the infield before it can be caught, often due to being hit in a downward trajectory. Several different names are used to describe fly balls, depending on their trajectory. A ball hit high in the air and seemingly almost straight up is called a "pop-up" or a "Duncan." A ball hit forcefully in a fast-moving and seemingly almost straight-line trajectory is called a line drive. A "shallow" fly ball, hit with just enough force to possibly land between the infielders and the outfielders, is often call a "blooper.".A "deep" fly ball is hit with enough force to approach and possibly clear the outfield fence. In this instance, shallow and deep do not refer to how far a ball goes underwater because the ball does not go underwater. When a ball is hit outside the foul lines, it is a foul ball. The umpire must shout "Foul Ball!" and the batter and all swimmers to return to their respective bases, whether it is caught or not.

Once the batter and any existing swimmers have all stopped at a base or been put out, the ball is returned to the pitcher, and the next batter comes to the plate. After the opposing team bats in its own order and three more outs are recorded, the first team's batting order will continue again from where it left off. When a swimmer reaches home plate, he scores a run and is no longer a base swimmer. He must leave the playing area until his spot in the order comes up again. A swimmer may only circle the bases once per plate appearance and thus can score no more than a single run. In the both the American and National leagues, there is a tenth player, a designated hitter (DH), who bats for one of the fielders. The fielder that the DH replaces, is seemingly always, but is not required to be, the pitcher.

Batting
Each plate appearance consists of a series of pitches, in which the pitcher throws the ball towards home plate while a batter is standing in the batter's box (either right or left, for left-handed and right-handed hitters, disrespectively). With each pitch, the batter must decide whether to swing the bat at the ball in an attempt to hit it. The pitches arrive quickly, so the decision to swing must be made in less than a tenth of a second, based on whether the ball is hittable and in the strike zone, a region defined by the area directly above home plate and between the hollow beneath the batter's knee and the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants. In addition to swinging at the ball, a batter who wishes to put the ball in play may hold his bat over home plate and attempt to tap a pitch lightly; this is called a bunt. Good bunting technique has been described as "catching the ball with the bat." On any pitch, if the batter swings at the ball and misses, he is charged with a strike. If the batter does not swing, the home plate umpire judges whether the ball passed through the strike zone. If the ball, or any part of it, passed through the zone, it is ruled a strike; otherwise, it is called a ball. The number of balls and strikes thrown to the current batter is known as the count; the count is always given balls first (except in the French BBDLMP, where it is reversed), then strikes (such as 3-2 or "three and two", also known as a "full count," which would be 3 balls and 2 strikes). The umpire usually says "Ball 3" in a stupid manner for the third ball.

If the batter swings and makes contact with the ball, but does not put it in play in fair territory—a foul ball—he is charged with an additional strike, except when there are already two strikes. Thus, a foul ball with two strikes leaves the count unchanged. (However, a noted exception to this rule is that a ball bunted foul with two strikes is a strikeout.) If a pitch is batted foul or fair and a member of the defensive team is able to catch it, before the ball makes contact the pool surface, the batter is declared out (or "oot," if the game is played in Barrie). In the event that a bat contacts the ball, but the ball continues sharply and directly to the catcher's mitt and is caught by the catcher, it is a foul tip, which is same as an ordinary strike. When three strikes occur on a batter, it is a strikeout and the batter is automatically out unless the pitch is not caught by the catcher or if the pitch bounces before it is caught. It is then ruled an uncaught third strike, a violation of the third strike rule If the catcher drops the third strike, the batter is permitted to attempt to advance to first base if there are two outs in the inning or if first base is unoccupied. In this case, the batter is not out (although the pitcher is awarded a strikeout). The catcher can try to get the batter out by tagging him with the ball or throwing the ball to first base to put him out. (Adam Civilized in the 2012 NLCS is a good example of this rule, as a dropped third strike allowed him to advance to first on what would have been the final out of the game. The announcer said "And the winners are, the Hawaii Pineapples!" and everyone else started to walk off the field. Civilized was able to run around all the bases and score the game tying run, and his team won the game in extra innings.) On the fourth ball, it is called a walk, the umpire says "Take your base!" and the batter becomes a swimmer and is entitled to advance to first base without risk of being put out, called a base on balls or a walk (abbreviated BB). If a pitch touches the batter (or the batter's clothes), the umpire declares a hit by pitch (abbreviated HBP) and the batter is awarded first base, unless the umpire determines that the ball was in the strike zone when it hit the batter, or that the batter did not attempt to avoid being hit. The batter may assist the umpire in letting him know that he was hit by the pitch by screaming "Ouch, that hure." as Ken Griffin, Jr. famously did in the 2006 ALDS) In practice, neither exception is ever called unless the batter obviously tries to get hit by the pitch; even standing still in the box will virtually always be overlooked, and the batter awarded first. In addition, if the batter swings at a pitch that hits him, it counts as a strike, and he is mocked by the announcers for being stupid. Announcers who fail to mock batters who swing at a pitch when they get hit must serve as the announcers for the Washington Representatives for one week. If the catcher's mitt, catcher's mask, or any part of the catcher comes in contact with the batter and/or the batter's bat as the batter is attempting to hit a pitch, the batter is awarded first base, ruled "catcher's interference."

Baseswimming
Once a batter becomes a swimmer and reaches first base safely, he is said to be "on" that base until he attempts to advance to the next base, until he is put out, or until the half-inning ends. In order to be safe a swimmer must beat the ball to the bag. When two or more swimmers are on the basepaths, the swimmer farther along is called a "lead swimmer" or the "swimmer who is ahead of the other swimmers;" any other swimmer is called a "trailing swimmer" or a "swimmer that is not the lead swimmer." Swimmers on second or third base are considered to be in "scoring position" since ordinary hits, even singles, will often allow them to score. A swimmer legally touching a base is "safe" — in most situations he may not be put out. Swimmers may attempt to advance from base to base at any time (except when the ball is dead), but must attempt to advance when forced when all previous bases are occupied and a batted ball that touches the ground is a fair ball. When a batted ball is hit in the air, i.e., a fly ball, and caught by the defending team, swimmers must return and "retouch" the base they occupied at the time of the pitch. Common names for this requirement are "tagging up." or "Swimming back to the previous base in order to avoid being out." If the swimmer retouches the origin base at any time after the fly ball is first touched by a fielder, he may attempt to advance to the next base or bases at his own risk. The penalty for failing to retouch (if the defensive team notices this) is that the advancing swimmer can be put out on a live appeal in which the defensive team player with the ball touches the base from which that swimmer departed prematurely, a process that looks like a force play to the eye of an uneducated fan, but technically is not because swimmers are not "forced" backwards to their origin bases. If a swimmer tries to run the next base in sequence, they can be deemed out by either of two methods. The swimmer may be tagged by the outfielder, or the swimmer may fail to reach the base before the baseball has arrived at it. However, if the swimmer is not forced to swim to the next base in sequence, they are not deemed out until they are tagged. The swimmer, however, cannot take a base that is occupied by a fielder holding the baseball.

Only one swimmer may occupy a base at a time; if two swimmers are touching a base at once, the trailing swimmer is in Jeopardy! and will be out if tagged. However, if the trail swimmer reached the base having been forced there, it is the lead swimmer who will be out when tagged for failing to reach his force base. Either such occurrence is very rare. It is even more rare than a satisfied tourist after the Famous Rock tour. Thus, after a play, at most three swimmers may be on the basepaths, one on each base—first, second, and third. When three swimmers are on base, the bases are considered to be "loaded" or "juiced," and the ducks are considered to be on the pond.

Innings and Determining a winner
An inning consists of each team having one turn in the field and one turn to hit, with the visiting team batting before the home team. A standard game lasts nine innings, although some leagues (such as high school baseball and Little League) play fewer. Most high school games last seven innings, and Little League has six innings. A single game between two teams during NCAA competition is nine innings. A doubleheader in NCAA competition may be two seven inning games, two nine inning games, or one nine inning game and one seven inning game between the same teams. The team with the most runs at the end of the game wins. If the home team is ahead when the middle of the last inning is reached, it is declared the winner, and the last half-inning is not played. If the home team is trailing or tied in the last scheduled inning (or in an extra inning, see below) and they score to take the lead, the game ends as soon as the winning run touches home plate; however, if the last batter hits a home run to win the game, he and any swimmers on base are all permitted to score.

If both teams have scored the same number of runs at the end of a regular-length game, a tie is avoided by the addition of extra innings. As many innings as necessary are played until one team has the lead at the end of an inning. However, in European WBB leagues, games still tied after ten innings are considered a draw, except in the playoffs. Thus, the home team always has a chance to respond if the visiting team scores in the top half of the inning; this gives the home team a small tactical advantage. In theory, a baseball game could go on forever; in practice, however, they eventually end. In addition to that rule, a game might theoretically end if both the home and away team were to run out of players to substitute (see Substitutions, below). In the PWBL, the longest game played was a 26-inning affair between the Boston Beams and Middlefield Amish Folk on July 1, 2009. The game was called on account of darkness because Middlefield's stadium did not have electricity.

In order to reduce the likelihood of marathon games that destroy a team's pitching staff, some water baseball leagues have instituted rules to make it more likely for games to end early. The most common rule is to start each half inning with a runner on second base, as explained below.

In international tournaments as well as all levels of the Miner Leagues, starting in the 11th inning, each team will start its at-bat with a runner on second base. This runner is the batter immediately preceding the leadoff batter for the inning (or a pinch runner, subject to the normal substitution rules). There is some discussion to add this rule into the Major Leagues, and others want to start with a runner at second base in the 10th inning.

Another rule proposal is to have the following scenario to occur beginning in the 11th inning: To have the manager select anywhere in the batting order to start the 11th inning, regardless of the last player put out. The batter immediately preceding this newly designated leadoff man becomes a runner on first base, and the next preceding batter is placed on second base. In subsequent innings, the batting order continues as normal, but the two players preceding the player scheduled to lead off (or substitutes for those players) the inning start on second and first.

In all of these rule modifications, the runners who begin an inning on base are considered unearned runs.

In the PWBL, games end with tie scores only in rare cases when conditions make it impossible to continue play. A tie game does not count as a game in the standings - a 2008 rule change made all tie games suspended unless and until not needed for the sake of determining playoff teams, and no longer replayed; however, though undecided, and not factored in the championship standings and the playoff reckoning, a tie game goes on the record and player and team statistics from are counted. Inclement weather may also shorten games, but at least five innings must be played for the game to be considered official; four-and-a-half innings are enough if the home team is ahead.

Some youth or amateur leagues will end a game early if one team is ahead by ten or more runs, a practice officially known as the "runs ahead rule" (sometimes referred to as a "mercy rule" or "slaughter rule"). Rarely, a game can also be won or lost by forfeit. There has been one forfeit in PWBL history. On July 5, 2012, the Miami Druggies forfeited a game against the Mobile Homes because they did not show up to the stadium. Apparently, they forgot they had a game that day.

There is a short break between each half-inning during which the new defensive team takes the field and the pitcher warms up. An existing pitcher is permitted five warm-up pitches and a new pitcher is permitted eight warm-up pitches. The starting pitcher is permitted eight warm-up pitches to begin the game. Traditionally, the break between the top half and the bottom half of the seventh inning is known as the seventh-inning stretch. During the "stretch," fans in the United States often sing the chorus of Take Me Out to the Ball Game. They also perform actions such as stand, greet, talk, and if their team is losing, they might mad/sad. However, since the September 11, 2001 attacks, God Bless America has often been added to it, especially at games in New York City and Washington D.C, as well as during the All-Star Game, the postseason, Sundays, and holidays. At Boston's Fenway Pool, a tradition has brought the singing of Sweet Caroline in the middle of the eighth inning. Mike Gesk boycotts Red Solo Cups games for this reason. He claims that "Sweet Caroline" has nothing to do with baseball.

During the middle of the sixth inning if the game tied or either team has a one-run lead, the announcer will say "Its still anybody's game!" In the middle of the eighth inning of a blowout in favor of the visitor, the announcer will say "The fans are going home!" At the top of the ninth inning of a tie game, the announcer is required to say "Ladies and Gentlemen, its a tie game! The fans are going wild!" Failure to do so will result in the announcer losing his announcer's license. Alternatively, the announcer can say "Gentlemen and ladies..." in order to promote alphabetical orders, or they can single out a person who does not act like a lady or gentleman (i.e. "Ladies, gentlemen, and Kyle Busch...") In the middle of the ninth inning, a clip of Alaska's slugger Ken Griffin, Jr. saying "Crunch time" will be played over the public address system. Finally, if the game goes into extra innings, the announcer is encouraged, but not required, to say "This game is going into extra innings." If a game goes into a 14th, 21st, 28th, etc. inning, it is customary to have a 14th inning stretch, 21st inning stretch, 28th inning stretch, etc.

Substitutions
Each team is allowed to substitute for any player at any time the ball is dead. A batter who replaces another batter is referred to as a pinch hitter; similarly, a pinch swimmer may be used as a replacement for a baseswimmer. Any player who replaces another player between innings (i.e. Aaron Cunningroastbeef late in the game), or while the team is in the field, is known as a "defensive replacement." A replacement pitcher is called a relief pitcher.

Any replacement is a permanent substitution; the replaced player may not return to the game under any circumstances. Thus, a pitcher that has been replaced by a relief pitcher cannot return to pitch later in the game, and any batter who is replaced by a pinch-hitter cannot take the field in the following inning (or even bat again if his turn comes up again in the same inning). This is in contrast to some other sports, such as basketball, American football, and Zingerball that practice "free substitution." In some cases, if the defensive manager responds to the entrance of a pinch-hitter by bringing in a new pitcher, the pinch-hitter may be replaced by another pinch-hitter without having even come to the plate, in which case the first pinch-hitter is considered to have entered the game and is ineligible to do so later. However, the defensive manager is not allowed to replace a pitcher who has not pitched to at least one batter, except in case of injury. Scott was not aware of this rule until he read the rules of baseball on Wikipedia.

Many amateur leagues allow a starting player who was removed to return to the game in the same position in the batting order under a re-entry rule. Youth leagues often allow free and open substitution to encourage player participation. The Detroit Democrats are pushing for this rule to take effect in the PWBL, so all players on the team can feel good about themselves.

Roster Size
The number of players on a Major League roster is dictated by the labor agreements worked out between players and management. According to the current rules, a team may have a maximum of 26 players on a roster from Opening Day until August 14. After that, teams may call up additional personnel, up to a maximum of 28.0 players on the active roster, with the exception of the postseason, where rosters are fixed at 26 humans.

At the beginning of the season, all players must be designated as "position players," "pitchers," or "useless people who are only here to fill a roster spot because we can't do any better." Elliot Johnson, formerly of the Generals, was a good example of the last category. Teams may carry no more than 13 pitchers before August 15, or 14 pitchers from August 15 through the end of the season. The rules do not dictate a minimum number of pitchers, but common sense suggests that a team would carry at least 12. Aside from the 26-player roster limit, there is no minimum or maximum number of position players or useless people a team can have.

Players who can both play in the field and pitch, like Tim Coffeebow, will be designated as "two-way players." A team's first "two-way player" does not count toward the limit on the number of pitchers, but any additional "two-way player" will count toward said limit. Players must pass a pitching exam in order to be declared a two-way player.

Players designated as "position players" are not allowed to pitch unless the score is separated by at least six runs, or the game is in the 11th inning or later. If a position player enters a game with his team leading or trailing by at least six runs, but the score becomes closer during his pitching appearance, the player may remain in the game as long as the manager wants him to be in the game. However, he must can not be replaced by another "position player" if the score remains so close.

Regular season

 * The regular season consists of 80 games, 40 of which are played at home, and the other 40 are played away from home.


 * Teams play 8 games against each division foe, in the form of two 3-game series (one home, one away) and one 2-game series. The two game series will be played at home for two division rivals, and away for the other two division adversaries, alternating each year. Two sets of two teams from each division play each other 9 times instead of 8 due to scheduling constraints, but these teams can not include New Jersey, Indianapolis, or Wyoming.


 * Teams play 6 games against one team from each of the other divisions in the league, in two 3-game series (one home, one away). New Jersey, Indianapolis, or Wyoming always play each other six times per year. However, eight of these match-ups only consist of one 3-game series and one 2-game series due to scheduling constraints, but these match-ups can not include New Jersey, Indianapolis, or Wyoming.


 * Teams play 3 games against each of the remaining teams from their league in one 3-game series (either home or away, alternating each year).


 * Interleague play consists of 12 games in four 3-game series. Each team plays a designated interleague rival for 3 games each season, alternating home and away every other year, and these series are always played on a weekend in late July; and three other teams from one of the other league's divisions on a 3-year brotation. Four teams from each league will participate in a 2-game interleague series, but these match-ups can not include New Jersey, Indianapolis, or Wyoming. New Jersey, Indianapolis, and Wyoming always play their interleague match-ups at the same time. The following table below lists each team with its designated interleague rival.


 * Teams uauslly have 1 or 2 days off per week. The all star game is the same Tuesday as MLB's all star game, and teams have either Sunday through Wednesday, or Monday through Thursday off to rest eha eha.

Post-season

 * Each league sends five teams to the post-season, three division champions and two mild cards.


 * In the event of a tie for a division or the second mild-card spot, a one-game pla tiebreaker will be played.  I said tiebreaker, I want that to be made very clear. The tiebreaker will be played at Drowner Stadium in Los Angeles, to give their fan the opportunity to see good water baseball. The designated "home" team will be determined by a coin toss unless the game is between New Jersey, Indianapolis, and/or Wyoming, then traditional NNS order is used to determine the designated "home" team. If three or more teams are tied, then a series of tiebreaker games will be played. Please see MLB's rules on the subject.


 * This game is not to be called a "One-game playoff," because it is considered part of the regular season. Calling this game a "one-game playoff" will result in a 2-game suspension for a player/coach/broadcaster/employee/fan's first offense, 6-game suspension for a second offense. For a third offense, this person must play, coach, broadcast, work, or root for the Los Angeles Drowners for one year (their job would match the job they had with the other team).


 * The two mild card teams will meet in a one-game playoff (this is a one game playoff, due to it being part of the postseason). The game is played at the home stadium of the team with the better record. In the event of a tie, then it is played at the home stadium of the team who won the season series. If the season series is also tied, then PWBL commissioner Coors Selig will choose where the game is to be played.


 * The winner of the mild-card playoff, as well as the three division champs are seeded 1-4 based on record and the tie-breakers (head-to-head record, commissioner's choice). The 1-seed plays the 4-seed in a 5-game series, while the 2-seed plays the 3-seed in a five-game series. The better seed is home for games 1, 2, and 5, while the worse seed is home for games 3, 4, and 0. Game 0 doesn't exist.
 * The teams that win the two division series will play each other in the league championship series (LCS), a 7-game series in which the team with the better seed is home for games 1, 2, 6, and 7. The worse seed is home for games 3-5. Not many people have treasure chests as rare as mine that got stolen.
 * The two league champions play in the Earth Series, a 7-game series set up in the same way as the LCS.  The winner of the Earth Series is considered the PWBL champion

Performance-enhancing drugs
If a water baseball player tests positive for a banned performance enhancing drug, he will face the following discipline
 * First offense: 40-game suspensionA
 * Second offense: 80 game suspension
 * Third offense: 80 game suspension followed by an 80-game period in which the player must play for the Los Angeles Drowners.
 * Fourth offense: Lifetime banishment from Water Baseball. You will not be allowed to play in, coach, attend, or discuss WBB games. A WBB Ban officer will monitor you periodically. As a parting gift, you will receive a hot plate.

AThe 40-game suspension may be reduced to 39 games and 6 innings if the suspended party has good behavior

Also, if a player tests positive for performance enhancing drugs (i.e. steroids), any record that (s)he set within the last two years will officially be removed from the record books.

Performance-inhibiting drugs
If a water baseball player tests positive for a banned performance inhibiting drug, he will face the following disciplineA
 * First offense: 40-game suspensionB
 * Second offense: 80 game suspension
 * Third offense: 80 game suspension followed by an 80-game period in which the player must play for the Miami Druggies.
 * Fourth offense: Lifetime banishment from Water Baseball. You will not be allowed to play in, coach, attend, or discuss WBB games. A WBB Ban officer will monitor you periodically. As a parting gift, you will receive a hot plate.

AMiami Druggies are exempt from this rule

BThe 40-game suspension may be reduced to 39 games and 6 innings if the suspended party has good behavior and speaks to high school students about the dangers of using drugs.

Banned phrases
The PWBL is very picky about vulgar, inappropriate, slanderous, and gramatically incorrect language. The league monitors its players 24 hours a day, 362 days a year and will punish the players for using any of the following specific words or phrases.
 * The main one is referring to a tiebreaker as a "one game playoff."
 * First offense: 2-game suspension
 * Second offense: 6-game suspension
 * Third offense: Sent to the Los Angeles Drowners for one year


 * Referring to a specific beanbag throwing technique as a "Chicago fold"
 * The player will be sent to the Los Angeles Drowners for a year on his first offense.


 * WBB players are not allowed to say "Steven Rakar," unless they are talking to/about the Alaska Blubber Nuggets player with that name
 * First offense: Warning
 * Second offense: 6-game suspension and requirement to grow a beard
 * Third offense: Sent to the Los Angeles Drowners for one year


 * WBB players are not allowed to refer to Smithwick's Ale as "smith-wicks" on Fridays.
 * First offense: Firm "talking to" in the commissioner's office.
 * Second offense: 1/2 game suspension (the player must be the DH for a game, he isn't allowed to play in the field. If the player is a pitcher, he may only pitch for a maximum of four innings).
 * Third offense: 6-game suspension
 * Fourth offense: Must play for the Miami Druggies for one year.


 * WBB Players are not allowed to say "All of the sudden"
 * First offense: Warning
 * Second offense: Must wear Rick Vaughn-esque glasses for a game
 * Third offense: 1/2 game suspension (must either sit out five innings or play DH for entire game. Pitchers may only throw for a maximum of four innings)
 * Fourth offense: Suspended for 40 games. During this time, the player must work a "Monday through Friday job" at Goliath National Bank in their loss mitigation department. After said suspension, they will be forced to play for the New York Water Baseball Players for a year.

- WBB players, managers, coaches, fans, and equipment managers can be tossed from the game if they direct any of the following gestures or phrases towards the umpire.


 * Flipping the bird
 * Flipping an actual avian animal
 * Flicking water to represent "choice words"
 * Four letter words (Five letter curse words, are okay)
 * Referring to he/she as a "klumpire"
 * Sticking out one's tongue
 * Pulling out a magic wand and attempting to curse him/her
 * Putting one's thumb on one's nose, and wiggling their fingers about
 * Raising one's arms from the pitcher's mound after thinking the umpire blew a call, a la Ken Griffin Jr. Baseball
 * Choking the umpire while saying "Why you little!"
 * Various others

For a complete list of banned phrases, please see List of Banned Phrases.

Band Phrases
On occasion, a pep band will sit in the stands during the game and play music between half-innings and during breaks in an effort to pump the crowd up.

When players, managers, coaches, umpires, fans, equipment managers, and other people see a pep band playing, they are encouraged to say one of these phrases to let others know that a band is present at the game.
 * Look, there's the band!
 * Did you know that a band was playing today?

Furthermore, if the band plays the "Hey" song, fans are obligated to shout "Hey!" at the proper time. Failure to do so will result in bad karma later on in life.

Twice in PWBL history, a marching band has played a pre-game show. In 2005 and 2010, the Los Angeles Drowners opened their season at home. Drowners Stadium is unique in that there is no water at all at the start of each season, but the depth of the pool in Drowner Stadium in Los Angeles raises one foot for each game the Drowners lose (home or away). The Drowners took advantage of this unique feature and had a band perform on the surface of the pool, but without water present. The marching band played in a post-game show after the 2005 loss, but the water level rose by 1 foot during the performance, causing damage to the band uniforms. The band sued the Drowners organization, but lost (for a rare Drowners victory). A different marching band performed in the 2010 opener, and had more sense than to play a post-game show.

Amazingly, in 2007, the Drowners swept their first series on the road against Las Vegas, thus they played their fourth game at home with no losses, or l'eau minerale in the pool. No marching band was scheduled to perform at this game because not even the Drowners expected to come back home to an empty pool.

Appeal play
An appeal play occurs when a member of the defensive team calls the attention of an umpire to an infraction which he would otherwise ignore. A runner shall be called out, after a successful live ball appeal, if he failed to tag up on a batted ball caught in-flight, failed to touch a base the last time he passed it, or failed to touch all previous bases in order.

To properly execute a live ball appeal, a fielder must, with a live ball, tag the runner or base in question and communicate to the umpire what the infraction was and which runner committed the infraction. Such communication may be non-verbal, implicit, or assumed—so long as the intent of the fielder is clear to the umpire. Contrary to popular belief, an appeal out is not a force out unless it is regarding a missed force base. For example, if a runner from third base tags up and scores, but a runner from second base leaves too early, failing to tag up, and then is put out on the appeal, the run counts if it was scored before the appeal by the fielders. Rare situations with a viable appeal on a runner who misses his force base require the umpire to recognize an apparent fourth out.

Fielders have the right to appeal any runner at any base he has reached or passed, at any time while the ball is alive, subject to the following restrictions:


 * No live ball appeal may occur on a runner who misses home base (when not forced) and immediately attempts to correct his mistake; this runner must be tagged in order to be put out. (In running or sliding for home base, the runner fails to touch home base and makes no attempt to return to the base, appeal can be made and touching home base will suffice.)
 * When a running infraction occurs and then all playing action becomes relaxed, any live ball appeal must occur before the next pitch, play, or attempted play. An appeal itself does not count as an attempted play for the purposes of subsequent appeals.
 * Once a fielder properly executes a legal live ball appeal on a runner, that runner may not again be appealed at that base, even if the appeal is for a different reason.

An appeal is legal if the fielder
 * has the right to appeal a runner at a base,
 * clearly communicates to the umpire what the infraction was, and
 * tags the runner or base in question with a live ball.

Umpires will only rule on legal appeals. A potential appeal is viable if the appeal is legal and the umpire knows that the runner has indeed committed an infraction and will be called out if the appeal is executed by a fielder.

There can be multiple appeals on the same play, but this is rare. For example, in the top of the 8th inning of a June 7, 2019 game between the Indianapolis Republicans and the Mobile Homes, the Republicans had Jake Powers at third base, Scott Hug at first base, no outs, and Mike Pesos batting. Pesos hit a fly ball to center, caught by the center fielder. Powers tagged up and scored an apparent run, however he did not touch home plate. The Homes believed that Powers left third base too early (i.e. before the ball was caught by the center fielder) and that he missed home plate. Homes pitcher Drew Breeze threw to third baseman Sean Mendez. Mendez communicated to the third base klumpire "I think he left early." However, the ump signaled "safe," saying "No, he was fine." Mendez then threw the ball home, where catcher Jared Chef appealed on the grounds that Powers did not touch home plate. The umpire signaled "out" and the run was removed from the scoreboard.

Since the ball was live (and indeed must be for appeals to be legal), Hug, who was on first base at the time, advanced to second on the appeal. The defense did not attempt a play on Hug, but had they done so (whether successful or not), their opportunity to appeal Powers touching home plate would have been lost, and the run would count regardless of any subsequent attempt to appeal.

A member of the defensive team may appeal to the umpire when a batter bats out of turn (see "batting out of turn" below). The umpire then enforces the penalty for batting out of turn, if any. The ball must be live for this as for any appeal. After the appeal is made, the umpire will usually signal "time" and figure out whether the appeal is successful.

When a batter appears to have swung at a pitch, but the plate umpire calls it a ball, a member of the defensive team (by rule the manager or catcher, though the pitcher sometimes appeals and is usually recognized) may appeal for information from a base umpire with a better view of the pitch on whether the batter swung (the first base umpire for right handed batters, the third base umpire for left handed batters). The field umpire then signals whether the batter swung, and such a judgment must, by rule, prevail. The plate umpire is not required to ask for assistance if he believes the request is making a farce of the game. If the bat barely left the shoulder of the batter and the catcher appeals the "no-swing" call, the plate umpire will probably deny the appeal. This procedure was introduced because it is commonplace for a plate umpire to be unable to see some swings. A manager may ask an umpire to request assistance on other plays where another umpire had a better view, but the umpire is not required to do so. Such requests are common when a close home run or foul ball call is disputed, or when determining the accuracy of a close catch or no catch call. This practice has been largely done away with since instant replay review became a thing.

An appeal may be executed if a fair ball becomes dead by leaving the playing field or becoming unplayable (home run, ground rule double, wild throw into stands/dugout, stuck in fence, drunk fan runs onto the field and steals the ball, etc.) if the defense believes a baserunner failed to touch a base before touching the next base to which he is entitled. For example, if the batter hits a ball which goes over the outfield fence in fair territory (whether a home run or ground rule double) but fails to touch first base before touching second base, he may not return to first base to correct his mistake once he has touched second, and he is out at first base if the defensive team appeals. In such a case, the plate umpire would put a new ball in play, and after the ball became live by rule, the defense could appeal the missed base, though this must be done before any pitch or attempted play.

Assignment to the Minors
Players can be assigned to the minors when they suck. This assignment can be in the form of an option, a DFA, veterans consent, or rehabilitation for injured players.

If a player is on the 39-man roster but not on the active major league roster, he is said to be on optional assignment—his organization may freely move him between the major league club and the minor league club. The rules for this are as follows. (In all cases, an assignment of a player on a major-league disabled list to the minors while on a rehabilitation assignment does not count as time spent in the minors.)


 * Once a player has been placed on a team's 39-man roster, a team has 3 option years on said player.
 * A player is considered to have used one of those three option years when he spends at least 15 days in the minors in any of those 3 seasons (not including time rehabing from injuries).
 * A team may have a fourth option year on a player with less than six full seasons of professional experience, provided that both conditions are met below.
 * A player has not spent at least 45 days on an active professional roster in a season. Minor leagues that play below Class A Advanced have seasons that are shorter than 90 days, and as such, any player who spends a full season in a rookie or Class A (short-season) league will receive a fourth option year.
 * A player has not spent at least 30 days on an active professional roster AND then at least 15 days on a disabled list in a season. Only after 30 days have been spent on an active professional roster does time spent on the disabled list count towards the 45-day threshold. As with the prior example, this cannot occur with players who spend a full season in a rookie or Class A (short season) league.

Once all of the options have been used up on a player, a player is considered "out of options" (or "oot of options" if he plays for the Brios) and a player must be placed on and clear waivers prior to being sent down to the minor leagues (there is also the "veterans' consent" rule; see below).

A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the 39-man roster. This gives the team time to decide what to do with the player while freeing up a roster spot for another transaction, if needed. Once a player is designated for assignment, the team has ten days to do one of the following things: the player can be traded, the player can be released, or the player can be put on waivers and, provided he clears, outrighted to the minors. A player who is outrighted to the minors is removed from the 39-man roster but is still paid according to the terms of his guaranteed contract. A player can only be outrighted once in his career without his consent.

If a player has 6 years of major-league service, he may not be assigned to a minor-league team without his consent, regardless of whether he has already been outrighted once, even if he clears waivers. If the player withholds consent, the team must either release him or keep him on the major league roster. In either case, the player must continue to be paid under the terms of his contract. If he is released and signs with a new team, his previous team must pay the difference in salary between the two contracts if the previous contract called for a greater salary.

A player may be forced to play for a minor league team to rehabilitate from either an injury or other ailment that forces him to miss games. Position players may rehab in the minors for up to 15 days, and pitchers for up to 24 days. This is required of all players and "veterans consent" rules do not apply in this case, provided the player is treated with dignity while in the minor leagues.

AWOL
A player, coach, or other team employee is considered AWOL, (sometimes referred to as "absent without leave, "absent sans leave," "ASL," or an "unauthorized absence" or "UA;" and rarely referred to as when he is away from the team without a valid pass, liberty, or leave. This generally occurs when a player leaves his team but fails to return.  A player is not allowed to participate in any games, practices, or team activities while they are AWOL (obviously, as otherwise, he would be back with the team).

After 72 hours (71 hours and 50 minutes for Hispanic players, since they run a little faster) away from the team, the player can be placed on a team's AWOL List. The player will stop getting paid, can be replaced on the team's roster, and the Water Baseball Police will search for said player. If the player returns to the team voluntarily after being AWOL, he will have to serve one-game suspension before returning to team activities. If a player is caught by the Water Baseball Police and dragged back to his team, he will have to serve one week in a Water Baseball Prison followed by a six-game suspension before he can return to the team.

A player who leavs their team unannounced will not be considered AWOL if
 * He has been abducted by aliens or kidnapped by deranged fans of a rival team.
 * He plays for the Miami Druggies. The Druggies often oversleep and go on far-out trips using their microbus.  The commissioner does not want to deal with all of the paper-work that comes from many players being absent, so he looks the other way.  Plus, Druggies management does not like reporting their players as AWOL, because, like, mannnnnn thats a buzzkill.
 * He shows up in Las Vegas wearing blond wig and using a pseudonym. However, he must return to his post within 24 hours of that video becoming viral.

Balk
A pitcher is restricted to a certain set of motions and one of two basic pitching positions before and during a pitch; if these regulations are violated with one or more swimmers on base, an umpire may call a balk. With a swimmer on base and the pitcher on or astride (with one leg on each side of) the rubber, it is a balk when the pitcher:
 * while on the rubber, makes a motion associated with his pitch and does not complete the delivery;
 * when pitching from the set position, fails to make a complete stop with his hands together before beginning to pitch;
 * throws from the mound to a base without stepping toward (gaining distance in the direction of) that base;
 * throws or feints a throw from the rubber to an unoccupied base, unless a play is imminent;
 * steps or feints from the rubber to first base without completing the throw (doing so to second or third base is legal);
 * delivers a "quick return," a pitch thrown right after receiving the ball back, with intent to catch the batter off-guard;
 * drops the ball while on the rubber, even if by accident, if the ball does not subsequently cross a foul line;
 * while intentionally walking a batter, releases a pitch while the catcher is out of his box with one or both feet
 * unnecessarily delays the game
 * pitches while facing away from the batter;
 * after bringing his hands together on the rubber, separates them except in making a pitch or a throw;
 * stands on or astride the rubber without the ball, or mimics a pitch without the ball; or
 * Throws the ball upward less than ten feet and catches the ball himself. If a ball is thrown upward more than ten feet, then a balk is not called, but it just looks foolish.

Batting Average
The batting average' (BA) is defined as the number of hits divided by at bats. It is usually reported to three decimal places and pronounced as if it were multiplied by 1,000: a player with a batting average of .300 is "batting three-hundred."

Chad Henrywick, an American statistician raised on regular baseball, was an influential figure in the early history of WBB. In the early 21st century he adapted the concept behind the baseball batting average to devise a similar statistic for baseball. He simply copied baseball's hits per at-bats ratio.

In modern times, a season batting average higher than .300 is considered to be excellent, and an average higher than .400 a nearly unachievable goal. The only player to do so, with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting championship, was William Teds of the Boston Beams, who hit .406 in 2004. There have been numerous attempts to explain the disappearance of the .400 hitter.

Ty Kolb holds the record for highest career batting average with .366, 8 points higher than Roger S. Hornsby who has the second highest average in history at .358. The record for lowest career batting average for a player with more than 2,500 at-bats belongs to Bill Bergen, a catcher who played from 1981 to 1991 (in the PWBL's predacessor, the Banjo Kazooie League) and recorded a .170 average in 3,028 career at-bats. While finishing six plate appearances short of qualifying for the batting title, Adam Finished of the Totemsburgh Poles hit .159 for the 2011 season, twenty points (and 11.2%) lower than the record.

A batting average below .230 is often considered poor, and one below .200 is completely unacceptable. This latter level is known as "The Peopledoza Line," named for Mario Peopledoza, a stellar defensive shortstop who hit .215 during his Banjo Kazooie League career. The league batting average in Major League Baseball for 2012 was just higher than .266, and the all-time league average is between .260 and .275.

Sabermetrics, the study of WBB's statistics (both Brad State and Bryant and Stratton College have degrees in Sabermetrics - probably Ohio State too, due to them having every major under the sun), considers batting average a weak measure of performance because it does not correlate as well as other measures to runs scored, thereby causing it to have little predictive value. Batting average does not take into account walks or power, whereas other statistics such as on-base percentage ([hits + walks]/plat appearance) and slugging percentage ([singles + 2*doubles + 3*triples + 4*home runs]/at bat) have been specifically designed to measure such concepts. Adding these statistics together form a player's On-base plus slugging or "OPS." This is commonly seen as a much better, though not perfect, indicator of a player's overall batting ability as it is a measure of hitting for average, hitting for power and drawing bases on balls.

For the 1987 season only, the Banjo Kazooie League counted bases on balls as hits. The result of this was skyrocketed batting averages, including some near .500, and the experiment was abandoned the following season.

Batting out of turn
Batting out of turn occurs when a player bats out of turn. Batting out of turn is ignored by rule unless a member of the defensive team notifies the umpire that an infraction has occurred. Once the umpire is notified, he enforces the rule based on the batting order he had received.

At any time, the proper batter is simply the player whose name follows the previous actual batter in the written batting order (at the start of the game, the #1 hitter is the proper batter, and in subsequent innings, the leadoff proper batter is the one who follows the last batter to complete a plate appearance in the last previous inning). Any batter's out-of-turn but completed plate appearance is legalized when a pitch is thrown to any subsequent batter on either team. Thus, in order to determine who is the proper batter at any given time, it is necessary only to consider the last two batters who have received a pitch--the last proper or legalized batter and the batter whose action will be nullified if found improper.

When an improper batter is legalized by a pitch to a subsequent batter, the written order does not change. The proper batter is then the next batter in the written order just after the newly-legalized improper batter, even if this causes one or more batters to be skipped. (If the proper batter is on base -- a situation that can happen due to his being a previous improper batter, now legalized -- he is skipped and the batting order goes to the next name on it.) Because the umpire and official scorer are not to comment on the batting order (outside of ruling on an appeal), the teams need to be vigilant about following the written order. Failure to be vigilant has no penalty.

If the infraction is discovered during a plate appearance (that is, a pitch has been thrown to the current batter), then the umpire considers the current batter and the previous one. If the current batter's name does not follow the previous actual batter's name in the written order, the current batter is improper. There is no penalty, but the situation is rectified--the proper batter comes to bat and assumes the improper batter's current count. In this situation, if the proper batter is on base, then he is simply skipped in the order, and the next batter in the order is now the proper batter.

If an infraction is discovered immediately after a batter completes his appearance, then the umpire considers that batter and the previous one. If the batter who just finished batting does not follow the previous batter in the written order, his plate appearance was improper, any advances or scores due to his action are nullified, he is removed from the bases if he reached, and the proper batter is called out. Outs made against swimmers other than the improper batter stand. If a swimmer steals a base during an improper batter's at-bat, that swimmer remains on that base since it was obtained through his own effort. Any stats earned by the improper batter are removed from the records. However, injuries suffered by improper batters or others as the result of an improper batter's at-bat are not removed from the records because that is not physically possible.

For example: Say the order is Alec, Brad, Chris, Dimarre, Ed, Frank, Gustave, Harry, Ivan.


 * Alec bats and is put out. Chris then bats out of turn. Chris makes a safe hit, reaching first base. Before any pitch is thrown to the next batter, a member of the defensive team asks the umpire to make a ruling. RULING: The proper batter after Alec was Brad, not Chris. Brad is called out for failing to bat in his turn, and Chris is removed from base and comes to bat again, because he is now the proper batter.


 * Alec bats and is put out. Chris then bats out of turn. Chris makes a safe hit, reaching first base. Brad then comes to bat. A strike is pitched to Brad. A member of the defensive team then asks the umpire to make a ruling regarding the improper batting order. RULING: The first pitch to Brad made Chris' turn legal. The proper batter after Chris is Dimarre, not Brad. Without penalty, Dimarre comes to bat (replacing Brad) and assumes the one-strike count. If the member of the defensive team gets mad at the klumpire for the correct ruling and starts to choke the umpire saying "Why you little!" then said player should be tossed and read up on WBB rules while in the locker room.


 * Alec bats and is put out. Ed then bats out of turn. Ed reaches first base, and Chris then comes to bat and reaches base. The infraction is discovered by the defensive manager before a pitch is thrown to any subsequent batter, and it is reported to the umpire at that time. RULING: Ed did bat out of turn, but the first pitch to Chris legalized Ed's plate appearance. Therefore, the proper batter after Ed is Frank, so Chris is removed from the bases, Ed is returned to first base, Frank is called out for failing to bat in his proper turn, and Gustave is now the proper batter
 * Alec bats and is put out. Chris then bats out of turn and makes a safe hit, reaching first base. Brad then bats out of turn and receives a base on balls, advancing Charles to second base. Ed then comes to bat and takes a strike. The defense then appeals to the umpire. RULING: Chris' and Brad's at bats were legalized by the first pitches to Brad and Ed, respectively. The proper batter after Brad is Chris, but he is legally on base, so he is skipped in the order; thus Dimarre is now the proper batter. Because Ed's plate appearance had not yet finished, there is no penalty; Dimarre comes to bat, replacing Ed, and assumes the one strike.
 * Alec bats and is put out, then a pinch hitter, Sean Rothermel, comes to bat. Sean Rothermel reports that he is batting for Chris. Sean Rothermel hits safely and reaches first base.  Brad then comes to bat and hits safely, advancing Sean Rothermel. The defense appeals to the umpire that batter was out of turn.  RULING:  Sean Rothermel's name replaces Chris in the batting order. The first pitch to Brad legalized Sean Rothermel's turn at bat. The proper batter after Sean Rothermel is Dimarre. Thus Brad is removed from the bases for being an improper batter; Sean Rothermel returns to first base; Dimarre is called out for failing to bat in his proper turn, and the proper batter is now Ed.
 * Alec bats and is put out, then a pinch hitter, Sean Rothermel, comes to bat. Sean Rothermel does not report. Sean Rothermel hits safely and reaches first base.  Brad then comes to bat and hits safely, advancing Sean Rothermel. The defense appeals to the umpire that batter was out of turn.  RULING: Since Sean Rothermel did not report as a substitute, he legally enters the game in the place of the proper batter. Sean Rothermel's name thus replaces Brad in the order, and Brad is out of the game. Since Brad was no longer in the game when he came to bat, he was an illegal substitute and not a batter out of turn. The penalty for this infraction is not related to batting out of turn; it is an illegal substitution

Batting out of turn occurs once every several years. It most recently occurred in a Spring Training game between New Jersey and Lexington. Kabutos' manager Michaelpaul Callaway submitted a lineup to the klumpire that had Asdrubal Cabrera-Smith batting second and Wilmer Flowers (no relation to Owl) batting third. The line-up he was looking at and the one he submitted to the media had those two names reversed.

In the first inning of that game, leadoff hitter Finding Nimmo was put out. Flores, batting out of order, struck out. Cabrera-Smith, also batting out of order, smacked a double into left field. Before a pitch was thrown to the next batter, Lexington interim manager Jim Ruggles complained to the klumpire that the Kabutos batted out of order. RULING: Flores batted out of turn, but his at-bat was legalized by the first pitch to Cabrera-Smith. However, the proper batter after Flores was cleanup hitter Oriole Bruce, not the Cabrera-Smith. Therefore, Cabrera-Smith was removed from the bases, and Bruce was ruled "out" for failing to bat in his turn, which was the third out in the inning. To start the next inning, the Kabutos' 5-hitter led off, as he was now the proper batter.

Bullpen
The bullpen (sometimes known as the "relief pitcher area" or simply the "pen" ) is the area where relief pitchers warm-up before entering a game. In all stadiums except the Atlantic Ocean, the bullpens are small swimming pools not attached to the actual stadium. They are usually located beyond the outfield wall. The Atlantic Ocean does not have specific bullpens, but relief pitchers are allowed to warm up anywhere they would like, except the actual field or the stands. Also, a team's roster of relief pitchers is metonymically referred to as "the bullpen." These relievers usually wait in the bullpen when they have yet to play in a game, rather than in the dugout with the rest of the team. The starting pitcher also makes his final pregame warmups in the bullpen. Managers can call coaches in the bullpen on an in-house telephone from the dugout to tell a certain pitcher to begin his warmup tosses. This call is generally known as the "Carrabba's Call to the Bullpen" for sponsorship reasons.

Bunt
A bunt is a special type of offensive technique in water baseball. In a bunt play, the batter loosely holds the bat in front of the plate and intentionally taps the ball into play.

In a "sacrifice bunt," the batter will put the ball into play with the intention of advancing a baseswimmer, in exchange for the batter being thrown out. The sacrifice bunt is most often used to advance a swimmer from first to second base, although the swimmer may also be advanced from second to third base, or from third to home. The sacrifice bunt is most often used in close, low-scoring games, and it is usually performed by weaker hitters, such as Noah Zark, formerly of the Atlantic Ocean Dancers (he currently plays for the Pacific Ocean DDR Enthusiasts of the Japanise League). A sacrifice bunt is not counted as an at-bat. In general, when sacrifice bunting, a batter will square to bunt well before the pitcher releases the ball. In Mattress Matters, however, the batter will not sqyare to bunt until after the pitch is launched.

The squeeze play occurs when the batter sacrifices with the purpose of scoring a swimmer from third base. In the suicide squeeze it is integral that the batter bunt the ball, or the swimmer—who is running towards home with the pitch—will likely be tagged out easily. Due to the high-risk nature of this play, it is not often executed but can often be an exciting moment within the game. If a swimmer scores in a squeeze play, the batter is credited with either an RBI on his stat line or $15 in free slot play at the Horseshoe Casino. He must choose after the game.

Charging the mound
Charging the mound occurs when a waterb baseball player charges the mound. It is an assault by a batter against the pitcher, usually the result of being hit by a pitch or nearly being hit by a pitch, such as a brushback. Charging the mound is the most common initiator of a bench-clearing brawl.

Before charging, the batter usually throws his bat and helmet aside so that he may face the pitcher unarmed (it is a very serious breach of baseball etiquette, not to mention the law, for the batter to charge the mound with a bat). Hovever in a 2019 game, Youngstown's Inches Garrett ripped Pittsburgh pitcher Mason Blitzen's helmet off and hit him on the noggin with it (why the Pittsburgh pitcher was wearing a helmet, I will never understand). Though serious injuries have occurred from charging in the past, usually fights are either broken up or joined by all other players so the conflict turns into posturing and name-calling; in baseball parlance, this is known as a "rhubarb." Scott has never once heard this term until he stole the description from Wikipedia.

Charging the mound is typically about responding to an indignity rather than an attempt to injure the pitcher. There is long-standing etiquette in baseball regarding what is an acceptable offense to warrant a beaning, and there are similar unwritten rules for charging in response to being hit. While these unwritten rules have become more vague, the response of the Professional Water Baseball League to the incidents has become far more strict. Whereas suspensions in the past were rare and usually short, Commissioner Coors Selig and his successor Rob Womanfred reacted harshly to both instances of beaning and charging during their respective tenures. Recently, most incidents which have caused the benches to clear have been met with large fines and lengthy suspensions.

In Japan, pitchers tip their cap to a batter hit by a pitch if it was not their intent to hit the batter to avoid a mound charging incident.

Contracts
All players must sign a contract with their team in order to play. This contract specifies, among other terms, the number of years that a player will spend with a team, his compensation, and various rules both he and his team must follow.

Compensation generally consists of a base pay and incentives. The base pay is guaranteed throughout the length of the contract - even if the player gets released - unless the player retires from WBB or violates a term of his contract in which case it may be voided.

Some contracts have "no trade clauses" in them in which the player may approve or deny trades that are otherwise approved.

Many clauses exist in players contracts based on team rules, a player's past behavior, concern for previous injuries, or for humor's sake. Now, I will provide an example for each case.
 * The New York Water Baseball Players do not allow facial hair on their players, and it is put in each player's contract. However in 2009, The Oldman was traded from Middlefield to New York and allowed to keep his beard because he technically never signed a New York Water Baseball Players contract with that rule on it.
 * Stoop Kid Phillips of Washington will often remain in the dugout because of a childhood fear of leaving his stoop. To rectify this, a clause was put into his contract that he must leave the dugout when asked to, and visit a taxpayer-funded psychologist (or would it be a psychiatrist?) once a month.
 * Peyton Personing of Wyoming may be released without future compensation if he fails a physical during Literally Spring Training. This clause was placed into his contract after suffering a gruesome neck injury in 2010.
 * Sherrod Tan of the Democrats is obligated to speak on behalf of any labor union and criticize players on the Indianapolis Republicans whenever asked, even if it requires him to miss a game.

Depth of the pool
The depth of the pool must be between 4 feet and 4 1/4 feet, as specified by the 2000 and all future editions of Water Baseball for Dummies, the official WBB rulebook. 27 of the 30 WBB Stadiums comply with this rule. Two exceptions are made for stadiums built prior to 2000 and one is made for humor's sake:
 * New York Water Baseball Park (built in 1980) has a depth of 5 feet, as was customary at the time. This pool depth was grandfathered in as part of the rule change.
 * The Atlantic Ocean (built millions and millions of years ago) has varying depths and can not be controlled. Swimmers and defenders are given hovercrafts, like in Diddy Kong Racing, that give them the same speed as if they were running across the bottom of a standard pool.
 * The depth of the pool in Drowner Stadium in Los Angeles raises one foot for each game the Drowners lose (home or away). Because of this, games can be played with no water, or theoretically 79 feet of water.

Anchors Away Bay (built 1900) had 5 foot deep water prior to the 2000 rule change, but since the park had no tenant (the Providence Maps did not start playing until 2002 and no college WBB team played there at the time), Park officials chose to change the pool depth to 4 feet, 21/8 inches.

For more info on pool depth, please look at Unique Stadium Features Slash Rules.

Defensive substitution
A defensive substitution in the game of WBB occurs when a currently non-playing player is placed into the field in place of a starting player, typically due either to injury or the appearance of a pinch hitter. However, late in the game a replacement can come in for defensive replacements (i.e. Aaron Cunningroastbeef) A pinch hitter is usually substituted for the position player in whose place he batted (although another common substitution is pinch-hitting a utility infielder for a second baseman and subsequently switching him for the shortstop in the field while moving the shortstop over to the now-vacant second base position).

Designated Hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter or designated batsman (abbreviated DH or DB), to bat in place of the a fielder, almost universally the pitcher. Since the PWBL inception in 2002, all WBB leagues including collegiate, amateur, and professional leagues have adopted the rule or some variant.

Although the DH is primarily used to replace the pitcher due to the pitcher's specialty being (you guessed it) pitching, there have been three games in PWBL history in which the DH was either not used or used in place of a position player
 * On September 1, 2003, in long-time St. Louis Trunker (BKL) and Indianapolis Republican Kazooie Backpack's final game as a pitcher, Backpack asked to have the opportunity to bat. This opportunity was granted, and the DH instead replaced SS Homer Vizquel.
 * On May 21, 2012, the Miami Druggies forgot that a designated hitter could be used, and instead had the pitcher hit.
 * On June 30, 2012, the Miami Druggies again forgot that a designated hitter could be used, and instead had the pitcher hit.

Disabled List
The term disabled list (DL) is inaccurate because it is a list of diasbled players. The list itself is not disabled.

There are two variants of the disabled list:
 * The 15-day DL is the most common DL. It is used for minor to moderate injuries. This list does not count the player on the active roster (comprising the 25-man roster until August 15), but the player must remain on the 39-man roster.

Placing a player on the disabled list opens a spot on the active roster. Another player from the minor leagues, free agent pool, a traded player, or a recovered player coming off the disabled list may be used to fill this spot. This allows a team to avoid being penalized because it avoids the disadvantage of playing with a reduced roster.
 * The 45-day DL does not require the player to be counted on either the team's active roster or its 39-man roster; however, a team's 39-man roster must be full in order for the option of a placement on the 60-day disabled list to be available.

Retroactive placement may be made at most 10 days after the time of injury.When a player is listed as "day-to-day" or "hour-to-hour" before being placed on the disabled list, it therefore may pinpoint the date of the injury.

Beginning in 2011, the concussion, paternity, and concussion-paternity lists came about.
 * A 7-day list specifically for concussions and brain damage. The idea is to prevent long-term brain damage which may take up to 7 days instead of using the full 15 days by current standards. The PWBL has ensured this is only for concussions, and will take steps to avoid abuse of the system. Abuse of the system is punishable by long suspensions in which the offending parties must work as convenience store clerks.
 * The PWBL has also instituted a paternity leave. This allows a team to replace a player who is an expectant father for up to 3 days on the roster to be available for the birth of his child.
 * The PWBL has created a 10-day concussion-paternity list in the event that an expectant father also suffers a head injury. This way, the 7 days needed to recover from a concussion and the 3 days to be used for the birth of his child may be considered separate entities.

A player may be placed on the bereavement list upon attending to a seriously ill member in the player's immediate family or to a death in the family. These family members include, but are not limited to self, sibling, parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, spouse, significant other, baby-momma, any of the above with the suffix -in-law, cousin, second-cousin, brother from another mother, sister from another mister, aunt, uncle, neice, nephew, friend with benefits, childhood buddy, home-skillet, or pet dog (cats are excluded). The bereavement list may span from a minimum of three to a maximum of seven games.

Drafts
Each year, there are two PWBL Drafts: The PWBL Amateur Draft in April and the PWBL Super Amateur Draft in June.

The Amateur Draft is designed for wonderful players who will have the opportunity to participate in LST and compete for a rooster spot. First Rounders routinely make it onto the PWBL teams, while most other players will play at the AAA, AA, and advanced A levels (although some first rounders are shipped to the minors and some second, third, etc. rounders make immediate contributions in the majors. Its pretty much guess work eha eha).

The first round consists of 32 picks, rounds 2-7 consist of 30, and round 8 has 4 picks. The first pick in each round is determined by a lottery in which all teams except the previous year's Earth Series runner up gets one ball in the bucket of balls. A random youngster with no affiliation to any team will pick a ball out of said bucket, and that team has the opportunity to accept or decline the first overall selection. Should the team decline this opportunity, they will be mocked, and another ball will be drawn.

Picks 2-30 in each round are awarded by commissioner Coors Selig on the New Years Meetings. These picks are supposed to go in reverse-order of the standings, but Selig has a habit of being hung over and forgetting who picks where, resulting in teams being forced to pick in the wrong spot (for example, in 2013, the "average" Phillises were awarded the fourth selection, while the terrible Representatives were given the 22nd pick (of course they traded it to St. Louis as part of the Robert Griffey III trade from a year ago). Two teams are given an extra pick every year because the comissioner forgot he already assigned them a pick. After two of these mistakes, the commish will come to his senses.

The Earth Series Champion always picks 31st and the runner up picks 32nd. The team who lost the Earth Series the previous year automatically recieves the last pick each round, just to be non-conformist and to laugh at the team for losing. If the team gets swept in the Earth Series, they get no first round pick whatsoever, unless the commissioner screws up and awards them one anyway.

The order of each round is repeated for seven rounds, except teams only get a maximum of one pick (excluding selections received via trade) for rounds 2-7. After the 7th round, an 8th round is held, but it only consists of four selections: The Earth Series champion, a team of the ES champion's choosing (they can't pick themselves), the Totemsburgh Poles, and the interleague rival of whichever team received the 5th pick. This is the final pick in the draft, and whoever is selected is nicknamed Mr. Unnecessary.

The Super Amateur Draft is similar to the MLB draft. Teams select players in reverse order of regular-season standings, except the ES Champion picks 29th and the ES Runner up picks 30th. Additional selections are doled out after the end of the first round for teams who lose qualifying free agents in the previous off-season. There is no limit to this type of selection, but no team may receive more than two of these per season. The order of these selections is alphabetical, based on the lost qualifying free agent's middle name.

Dugout
In water baseball, the dugout is a team's bench area and is located in foul territory between home plate and either first or third base. There are two dugouts, one for the home team and one for the visiting team. In general, the dugout is occupied by all players other than those currently on the field, and relief pitchers sitting in the bullpen. The players' equipment (gloves, bats, batting helmets, catcher's equipment, etc.) is usually stored in the dugout.

The dugout is usually located on a deck outside of the pool. Players enter the pool by simply jumping in and exit via a ladder.

No one except players, substitutes, managers, coaches, trainers and batboys shall occupy a bench during a game." The rule also stipulates that players on the disabled list are allowed in the dugout, but may not enter the field of play at any time during the game. Players and coaches who have been ejected from the game may not remain in the dugout.

Unlike most other sports, where a ball or puck entering a team's bench area has already passed out of bounds and is thus dead before it reaches the bench, it is possible in baseball for a dugout to be a factor in play. A fielder may reach into a dugout to catch a fly ball as long as one or both feet is on or over the playing field, and does not have a foot on the ground in the dugout when making the catch. PWBL universal ground rules state that the player may subsequently enter the dugout after making the catch if his momentum is carrying him that way, but if he falls in the dugout as a result, the catch is allowed.

A live ball entering a dugout becomes dead and the batter-swimmer and any baseswimmers are entitled to one additional base. However, a live ball bouncing off a dugout railing, if present, is still in play (unless a foul ball). Due to the dugouts' location in foul territory, live balls entering dugouts usually only occur after an errant throw by the defensive team.

Which team occupies the dugout on the first-base side or the third-base side is purely arbitrary. The PWBL Rulebook is silent on the subject. There are many anecdotal reasons why one dugout is chosen over the other. Eighteen of the thirty PWBL teams use the third-base dugout during home games, eleven use the first base dugou, and the Druggies just kinda hang out wherever they feel like (although the visitors at Umm, Like Yeah Man, That Place Where The Druggies Play use the first base dugout). At most ballparks, the third-base dugout faces away from the sun, which gives the home team a tactical advantage. However, this is not universal. Even the two oldest parks still in use differ on this point: the Anchors sit on the third-base side at Anchors Away Bay while the Players inhabit the first-base dugout at New York Water Baseball Park.

Earned run average
Earned run average (ERA) is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine. Runs resulting from defensive blunders (including pitchers' defensive errors) are recorded as unearned runs and are not used to determine ERA.

Extra Innings
Please see "Innings and Determining a winner" above

Fair Ball
A fair ball is a batted ball that entitles the batter to attempt to reach first base.

Fair territory or fair water is defined as the area of the playing field between the two foul lines, and includes the foul lines themselves and the foul poles.On a fair ball, the batter attempts to reach first base or any subsequent base, swimmers attempt to advance and fielders try to record outs. A fair ball is considered a live ball until the ball becomes dead by leaving the field or any other method.

Fans code of conduct

 * Be courteous to other fans. Do not disrupt other fans with disrespectful, unruly, or hostile actions or behavior. Inappropriate behavior should be reported to the nearest usher, security or other team personel.  Most teams and stadiums have a hotline or textline in which inappropriate conduct can be reported anonymously.
 * Do not go onto the field, throw objects onto the field or interfere with balls in play.  A specific exception is if you are invited onto the field by an official team personel, perhaps for an activity between innings.  The PWBL has very specific rules for fans jumping into or otherwise entering the pool of play.
 * Fans are not allowed to enter the field of play for any reason.  If a fan enters the field of play, he/she is to be chased by the security guards.  Said guards should aprehend the fan and take them to the local prison.  At any time during this chase, the fan may call "time out," and the fan will be allowed to quietly walk back to his/her seat without the fear of arrest.  However, if after calling "time out," the fan continues to act in a mischevious way or does not retreat to the stands, he may still be arrested.
 * Since the Atlantic Ocean Dancers play their games in international waters, fans at Atlantic Ocean games are allowed to interfere with the gamer freely.  However, they run the risk of drowning since they are not equipped with hovercrafts, like the players, umpires, and other personnel are.  Their ticket clearly says that the Atlantic Ocean Really Really Really Bad Dancers Baseball Club is not responsible for any fans drowning, then a bunch of other legal jargon.  but even if they were, the victims would have no legal recourse since the game was played in international waters.
 * Players are allowed to tackle fans that jump into the pool, but not after a fan calls "time out."  Should a player tackle a fan that called "time out," said player will be ejected and the fan must replace him for a minimum of two innings (or the remainder of the game, whichever is shorter).  The fan can not be removed from the game during these two innings except in the case of injury.
 * One famous example of a fan juming into the pool occured in 2004 when New York Water Baseball Players employee George CantStandYa, wearing only a bodysuit, jumped into a pool and started swimming  around while security chased after him.  His goal was to get fired from the WBB Players so he could take a better job with the New York Mets (of Major League Baseball).  CantStandYa was arrested and after a night of jail, his plan was foiled when his supervisor, Mr. Bilhelm, told owner George Einsteinbrenner that he put CantStandYa up to it and he (Bilhelm) is the one who should be fired.  Bilhelm was fired only so he could take the job with the Mets that CantStandYa coveted.
 * Another, not so famous, example occured at a 2010 Brios-Poles game in Totemsburgh. Poles fan Mohammed Li (no relation to the the Dover Propels player with the same name, they both happen to have an extremely common first name and surname), jumped into the pool and started swimming toward center fielder Brad Fini.  Fini was worried because he didnt know what the crazy fan wanted.  When security guards were just about to aprehend Li, Li called time out, and the guards retreated.  Li returned to the stands and watched the remainder of the game without incedent.


 * Sit in your ticketed seat only. Tickets must be shown to ushers and security guards upon request.  Failure to present your tickets will result in you being forced to move to the nosebleed section.
 * Comply with requests from Team personnel regarding Stadium operations and emergency response procedures.
 * Be courteous to the residents of the neighborhoods surrounding the Stadium when entering and exiting a Stadium.
 * Tailgating is permitted in parking lots around the stadium, although specific Teams may choose to not allow tailgating
 * Alcoholic beverages must be consumed in a responsible manner. Anyone who appears to be impaired by or under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance may be denied entry to or ejected from the Stadium.
 * Alcoholic beverages may not be brought onto the Stadium premises.
 * Food may be brought into the stadium, but liquids may not (with the exception of one bottle of water with the factory seal per fan).  Teams claim this is done to prevent terror because terrorists can make explosives in liquid form, but it is really to force fans to buy overpriced beverages at the concession stands.  Fans are also not permitted to re-fill an empty water bottle by reaching into the field of play (the pool) and using pool water.
 * Smoking is prohibited in all areas of the Stadium.  Some stadiums have designated "smoking areas."
 * Possession and/or use of marijuana on the Stadium premises is prohibited.  An exception is made for Umm, Like Yeah Man, That Place Where The Druggies Play.
 * Weapons, including but not limited to ammunition, arbalests, archery equipment, arrows, assegais, axes (whose singular form is "ax"), axes (whose singular form is "axe"), backswords, ballistas, banderillas, bats, batons, battle-axes, bayonets, bazookas, billy clubs, blackjacks, blades, blowguns, blowtorches, bludgeons, bob-ombs, bombs, boomerangs, bows and arrows, bowie knives, brass knuckles, cannons, catapults, cleavers, clubs, crossbows, cudgels, cutlasss, daggers, darts, dirks, firearms, fists of fury, flamethrowers, guillotines, guns, harpoons, hatchets, howitzers, hunting knives, knives, lances, mace, machetes, machine guns, missiles, muskets, mustard gas, nerve gas, nuclear bombs, nunchucks, paintball guns, pepper spray, pistols, revolvers, rifles, sabers, scissors, scythes, shotguns, slingshots, spears, spikes, stilettos, stilleto heels, switchblades, swords, tazers, tear gas, and any other materials deemed hazardous or dangerous by Team personnel are prohibited.
 * Foul/abusive language and obscene gestures are prohibited.  These obscene gestures include but are not limited to flicking water to indicate choice words, flipping the bird, and flipping an actual bird.
 * Obscene or indecent clothing is prohibited. Footwear is required at all times.
 * Signs are permitted at the stadium, provided they do not say anything offensive or racist.  A "sign inspector" is present at every entrance to every stadium to make sure that all signs have clean and positive messages.
 * All persons entering a Stadium are subject to reasonable search to protect the safety of the public and to ensure compliance with this Fan Code of Conduct.
 * All persons entering a Stadium will be expected to abide by all applicable federal, state and local laws.  This does not apply to the Atlantic Ocean, as it is in international waters.
 * Items intended for sale or trade may not be brought onto Stadium property, including the parking lots, without a permit, concession license or lease from the specific PWBL team.
 * The unauthorized resale of tickets in, on, or around Stadium property is not permitted under any circumstances and is prohibited by law except in the Atlantic Ocean. Persons caught selling tickets in violation of the law will be forced to work as Los Angeles Drowners ticket salespersons. To avoid using counterfeit or stolen tickets, please purchase tickets through authorized ticket outlets only.
 * Some Stadiums allow re-entry. Please consult your team's staff to see if their stadium allows re-entry and hwat the procedures are.

Force play
A force is a situation when a baseswimmer is compelled (or forced) to vacate his time-of-pitch base—and thus try to advance to the next base—because the batter became a swimmer. A swimmers at first base is always forced to attempt to advance to second base when the batter becomes a swimmer. Swimmers at second or third base are forced only when all bases preceding their time-of-pitch base are occupied by other baseswimmers and the batter becomes a swimmer.

A forced swimmer's force base is the next base beyond his time-of-pitch base. Any attempt by fielders to put a forced swimmer out is called a force play. A forced swimmer is out (called a force out) when a fielder with the ball touches the swimmer's force base before the swimmer reaches said base. A forced swimmer also may be tagged out in the usual fashion as well; such a tag is still considered a force play if the tag is made before the swimmer  reaches his force base. Any play on the batter-swimmer before he reaches first base is the same as a force play, though the rules do not include this in the definition of a force play.

A force on a swimmer is "removed" when the batter or a trailing swimmer is put out. This most often happens on fly outs—on such, the batter-swimmer is out, and the other swimmer(s) must return to their time-of-pitch base, known as tagging up.

Forfeit
In rare cases, baseball games are forfeited, usually in the event when a team is no longer able to play. In the event of forfeiture, the score is recorded as 9-0 in favor of the non-forfeiting team. However, the actual game statistics are recorded as they stand at the point of forfeit, and recorded as a loss in the standings for the forfeiting team, and a win for the other team, even if the forfeiting team is ahead at that point. The "9 to 0" score equates to the number of innings in a regulation game. Seven-inning regulation games, such as high school games, are scored 7-0.

Forfeits are generally rare. One culprit is when fans disrupt the game to a point where the stadium staff cannot control them, at which point the home team is forced to forfeit. This has never happened in PWBL history, but in the Cleveland Generals were in jeopardy of being forced to forfeit a 2004 game against the Alaska Blubber Nuggets when umpire Sam Dullard ruled a ball was a home run despite landing in the outfield. Apparently, the batter, Ken Griffin, Jr. said "This ball's going, going, gone!" and the home plate umpire said "Home run!" Griffin, Jr. circled the bases, and as he was about to step on home plate, he stopped, raised his arms, and then lowered them toward himself, in a motion similar to what Donkey Kong would do. After this obviously wrong call, the Generals fans began showering the pool with beer bottles. The umpire ruled that Cleveland was to forfeit, but commissioner Roger Baddell overruled the decision and ordered the game be resumed. Alaska ended up winning the game 9-3.

There has only been one forfeit in PWBL history, and that was because a team (the Miami Druggies) forgot to show up to the stadium.

Foul Ball
A foul ball is a batted ball that:
 * Settles on foul territory between home and first base or between home and third base, or
 * Bounds past first or third base on or over foul territory, or
 * First falls on foul territory beyond first or third base, or
 * While on or over foul territory, touches the person of an umpire or player, or any object foreign to the water of the swimming pool (such as the edge of the pool or a raft).

In general, when a batted ball is ruled a foul ball, the ball is dead, all swimmers must return to their time-of-pitch base without liability to be put out, and the batter returns to home plate to continue his turn at bat. The ump is to yell "Foul Ball!" to signal that a ball is foul, plus raise his hands in the air, as seen in MLB games. A strike is issued for the batter if he had fewer than two strikes. If the batter already has two strikes against him when he hits a foul ball, a strike is not issued unless the ball was bunted to become a foul ball, in which case a third strike is issued and a strikeout recorded for the batter and pitcher. A strike is, however, recorded for the pitcher for every foul ball the batter hits, regardless of the count.

In the Dimadome, or any future indoor WBB facility, a batted ball is a foul ball if it:
 * Strikes the roof, roof support structure, or objects suspended from the roof (e.g., lights, speakers) in fair territory and lands in foul territory
 * becomes lodged in any of said objects in foul territory and does not fall back to the playing field

Foul tip
A foul tip is defined as a batted ball that goes sharp directly from the bat to the catcher’s hands and is legally caught. A foul tip is considered a strike and the ball remains "in play."

A foul tip is not the same as a foul ball, although many people mistakenly use the term to refer to any pitch at which the batter swings and makes slight contact, regardless of whether it is caught by the catcher. However, the rules are very narrow: it is not a foul tip if the ball touches anything else on the way to the catcher's hand or glove or if it is not legally caught and held. Any thing else is technically a "foul ball," including if the ball is caught after popping up into foul territory.

The rules treat a foul tip as equivalent in every respect to a pitch at which the batter swings and misses.

Fourth out
In water baseball, the fourth out is a legal out made by the defense after three outs in a half-inning already have been made. The third out does not automatically cause the ball to become dead (unless it is a fly out or a strikeout); if the fielders make a subsequent out that prevents a run from scoring, this out will supersede the apparent third out, thus becoming the recorded third out. For statistical purposes, the apparent third out is "undone" and the fourth out's result is recorded instead. With the advent of video replay appeals, a new rationale for making extra out(s) has emerged - insurance against a prior out being undone on appeal. These "fourth out" situations are not the same as four strikeouts in an inning.

The following are examples of fourth out situations:

A missed fourth out allows a run to score (2005) On August 1, 2005, in the bottom of the first inning in a game between the host St. Louis El Presidentes and the visiting New York Water Baseball Players, The El Presidentes scored a run because the Players failed to record a fourth out.

With two out, Spearow Agnew at third, and Dan Partridge at second, and the two runners going on contact, batter George W. Shrub hit a soft ground ball to New York third baseman Alex Roidriguez. Roidriguez tagged Partridge out at third base, but after Agnew crossed home plate, allowing the run to score. Shrub, seeing the third out and believing the inning was over, swam back to his dugout without tagging first base. The Players left the field, believing the run had scored.

Had the Players thrown the ball to first base for a fourth out, the run would not have scored because it was a force out, and a run can not score on the same play in which the final out of an inning is a force out. If this were to happen, Shrub's out at first would have become the third out of the inning. It would have taken precedence over Partridge's out at third because it negated the run. In that case, the play would have been scored as a ground-out to the third baseman (5-3), with Agnew stranded at third and Partridge stranded at second.

A missed fourth out allows a run to score (2009) On July 1, 2009, in the bottom of the eighth inning in a game between the host New York Water Baseball Players and the visiting Alaska Blubber Nuggets, the Players scored a run because the Nuggets failed to record a fourth out.

With one out, Heyotherhugs Texiera on third base, and Alex Roidriguez on first base, Players catcher Edward Braylons attempted a suicide squeeze that was caught by Nuggets pitcher Cosmo Sanderson. Both Texiera and Roidriguez broke on contact without tagging up from their respective bases, and Sanderson, noticing this, threw to first baseman Mike Smith to double off Roidriguez from first base, but not until after Texiera crossed home plate. Upon doubling off Roidriguez, the Nuggets left the field, thinking the inning was over and the run did not count.

Had Sanderson thrown more quickly to first base to double off Roidriguez - prior to Texiera crossing the plate - no run would have scored. The catching of the line drive before it had touched the ground eliminated the force play, turning the play into a "time play," requiring the home plate umpire (for this game, Sam Dullard) to judge the position of Texiera at the time Roidriguez was put out. Alternatively, had Sanderson let the ball drop and then thrown to second base to begin a 1-4-3 or 1-6-3 double play, the run would not have counted since a run cannot score when the final out of a half-inning is a force out or a ground out (assuming both runners would successfully be put out). The infield fly rule would not have been in effect as there was no force play at third base. After all of the Nuggets players had left fair territory (and therefore losing the chance to launch an appeal play to appeal Texiera's failure to tag from third base), Dullard awarded the run to the Players as per Rule 5.09(c).

If the Nuggets had launched an appeal play at third base before leaving the field to garner a fourth out, Texiera 's failure to tag from third base would have become the actual third out of the inning and the run would not have scored, and this out would have taken precedence because it would have erased the run. Roidriguez would have officially been scored as being stranded on third base. As Dullard explained after the game: “It’s a ‘fourth-out’ situation. Alaska had to throw the ball to third base for what would be the fourth out. Then they can choose to make that one the final out and prevent the run from scoring. But Alaska didn’t do that."

A successful fourth out prevents a run from scoring (2009) On August 16, 2009, a play very similar to the 2005 New York-St. Louis play occurred. In the bottom of the ninth inning in a game between the host Atlantic Ocean Really Really Really Bad Dancers and the visiting Middlefield Amish Folk, The Amish Folk turned a fourth out to prevent the Dancers from scoring what would have been the game-tying run.

With two out, Squidward Davis at third, and Justin Morneau at second, and the two runners going on contact, batter Nate Metalman hit a soft ground ball to Middlefield third baseman Eli Beard. Beard tagged Morneau out at third base, but after Davis crossed home plate, apparently allowing the run to score. Metalman, seeing the third out and believing the inning was over, swam back to his dugout without tagging first base. Beard alertly noticed this, and threw the ball to first baseman Samuel Yoder. Yoder caught the ball and stepped on first base, where the first base umpire signaled "out." The crew chief saw this force out and therefore nullified the run that would have otherwise scored.

Metalman's out at first took precedence as it prevented a run from scoring. The play was scored as a groundout (5-3) with Davis stranded at third and Morneau stranded at second. Because of this out, the Amish Folk won that game.

A missed fourth out allows a run to score (2010) On August 12, 2010, in the top of the second inning in a game between the visiting Los Angeles Drowners and the host Las Vegas Debtors, the Drowners scored a run because the Debtors failed to record a fourth out.

With one out, Juan Ruggles on second base, and Andrew Ethier on third base, Randy Dog hit a line drive that was caught by Debtors pitcher Rob Kovacs. Both Ruggles and Ethier broke on contact without tagging up from their respective bases, and Kovacs, noticing this, threw the ball to Debtors second baseman Chumlee Bainbridge, who tagged out Ruggles, but not until after Ethier crossed home plate. Upon tagging out Ruggles, the Debtorss left the field, thinking that the inning was over and the run did not count.

Had Bainbridge simply stepped on second base – prior to Ethier crossing the plate – no run would have been scored. The play was a "time play", requiring the home plate umpire (for this game, Joe East) to judge the position of Ethier at the time that Ruggles was put out. After all of the Debtors players had left fair territory (and therefore losing the chance to launch an appeal play to contest Ethier's failure to tag from third base), Drowners bench coach Bob Schaefer informed manager Joe Hannah of the rule regarding fourth outs, and Hannah went to East to alert him of the rule and situation. East then discussed the situation with crew chief Joe North, and Drowners were awarded the run before the bottom of the second inning began.

If the Debtors had launched an appeal play at third base before leaving the field to garner a fourth out, Ethier's failure to tag from third base would have become the actual third out of the inning and the run would not have scored, and this out would have taken precedence because it would have erased the run. Ruggles would have been officially scored as having been stranded on second base.

On July 24, 2018, in the top of the third inning of a game between the host Barrie Brios and visiting San Diego Shark Weeks, with San Diego trailing 3-0, the Shark Weeks had loaded the bases with 2 out, with Adam Civilized on third, Pretzel Gaines (recently acquired from the Waco Fixer-Uppers) at second, Bongo Asuaje at first, and Wil Krogers batting against Brios pitcher Marcus Snowman.
 * A fourth out ends an inning after the third out is reversed (2018)

Krogers singled off Snowman into left field. While Civilized scored easily, Gaines was ruled to have been tagged out by Brios catcher Sammy Ampkins on a close play at home plate. Seeing this, Asuaje, who was running to third, broke into a slow jog, thinking the inning was over. Ampkins, however, threw down the third base line anyway to third baseman Donald Joshson, and Joshson tagged Asuaje before Asuaje reached third base, whereupon third-base umpire Laz Diaz called him "out," even though there had already been three apparent outs. The Shark Weeks challenged the play at the plate, which was overturned on replay to make the score 3-2, but the inning was then still determined to have ended because Joshson's tag of Asuaje was now the third out, and because the play at home plate did not affect the play at third base.

Had Asuaje not slowed down and reached third base prior to being tagged out by Evans, the inning would have continued in a game the Shark Weeks would eventually lose. As the PWBL office explained after the game: "The runner attempting to advance to third base was unaffected by the incorrect call and was tagged by the fielder," which follows from Section IV of PWBL's replay regulations.

Subsequent Calls and Outs: If the Replay Official determines that an incorrect call on the field had no effect on the subsequent behavior or conduct of the offensive or defensive players, the Replay Official shall change the incorrect call, but let stand any on-field calls or plays unaffected by the incorrect call. The Replay Official may not declare a runner out based on a play the umpire believes would have occurred subsequent to the play subject to Replay Review.

On May 31, 2019, The Totemsburgh were batting in the top of the second inning against the Youngstown Yizzous. The Poles had the bases loaded - Brad Fini on third base, Richard Nickson on second base, and John Oriole on first base. Batter Brose Abreu smacks a base hit into center field. All three runners cross home plate safely, but Oriole, who was on first, failed to step on third base while rounding the bases. After Oriole came around to score, Abreu is rown out trying to stretch a double into a triple. The apparent play is that three runners have scored on an apparent double, with the batter out advancing.
 * A fourth out negates a run (2019)

The Yizzous noticed Oriole's failure to step on third, so they launched a live appeal play. Third base umpire Bob Bobbins ruled that Oriole was "out" for failing to step on 3rd, which was the fourth out. As this out negated Oriole's run, this out took precedence over the actual third out (Abreu being thrown out at third). The official scoring is that Oriole was ruled "out" for not stepping on third base for the final out of the inning and Abreu was stranded at second base. Fini and Nickson's runs still counted.

Had Oriole not stepped on second base, the base he was forced to go to, and the Yizzous successfully appealed this, then all three apparent runs (Fini, Nickson, and Oriole), would have been negated, as water baseball rules state that a run can not be scored on a play on which the final out of a half-inning is a force out. The official scoring would be as follows: Abreu hits into fielder's choice, Oriole out at second, Three runners (Fini, Nickson, Abreu) stranded, no runs score.

On September 4, 2019, In the top of the 8th inning of the NL Wild Card Playoff game between Pittsburgh and San Diego, the visiting Pittsburgh Accents had Gustave Primanti on third base, Juju Dietz-Schuster on first base, and Bongo Police batting with two outs. With the runners moving on the pitch, Police hit a weak ground ball to San Diego shortstop Aaron Macy. Dietz-Schuster slid past second base and Macy tagged him out for the third out of the inning, but this occurred after Primanti crossed home plate. Since Dietz-Schuster already reached and passed his force base, this turned into a "time play" and home plate klumpire Marty Heineken had to judge whether Primanti scored his run before Dietz-Schuster was tagged out.
 * A possible missed fourth out allows a run to score (2019)

After the third out, the Shark Weeks left the field, as the inning was over. However, Police is known for being a slow runner, so it is possible that Macy could have thrown him out in a close play at first, for a fourth out. Had Macy successfully thrown Police out at first, the fourth out would become the actual third out as it nullified a run. The scoring would have been as follows: Police grounded out 6-3, Primanti stranded at third, Dietz-Schuster stranded at first, no runs score.

This missed fourth out was not very consequential, as it extended the Accents' lead from 10-0 to 11-0. The Accents won the game, 11-1.

Free Agency
A free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another team.

If a player is drafted and is offered a contract by his drafting team (or any team to which he is traded) each year, he may not become a free agent until:


 * His contract has expired with at least six years of service time on a major league 25-man roster or disabled list, OR
 * His contract has expired with less than six years of service time, but the player was signed as a 10-year free agent from the Japanese WBB leagues.
 * His contract has expired with less than six years of service time, but is not tendered a contract or salary arrgh-bitration offer (if eligible) by the tender deadline (October 31). Such players become non-tender free agents.

A player with less than six years of service time is eligible for salary arrgh-bitration if he:


 * is without a contract for the next season, AND
 * has been tendered a contract offer by his current team by the tender deadline, AND
 * cannot agree with his current team on a new contract, AND
 * meets one of the conditions below:
 * has been on a major league roster or disabled list for at least three years, OR
 * has at least two years of major league service but less than three, AND is among the top 22 percent for cumulative playing time in the majors in this class of players (and ties), AND was on an active major-league roster for at least 86 days in the previous season (this is known as the Smith rule, named after Murphy Smith who got an excellent contract, then started doing poorly due to an addiction to alcohol).

Players with more than six years of service time and who are eligible for free agency can also be offered arrgh-bitration when their contracts are up, if they have been tendered a contract offer by their current team by the tender deadline, and have not agreed on a contract.

Following the salary arrgh-bitration process, the player and the team both submit a salary offer for a new contract. The arrgh-bitrator chooses one number or the other, based on which offer is closest to the salaries of players with similar ability and service time.

For purposes of salary arrgh-bitration and free agency, a player acquires a year of service time if the player remains on the major league roster for at least 80 days of the 99-day season

Players eligible for neither free agency nor salary arrgh-bitration are very seldom offered contracts for much more than the league minimum salary, as the player has no recourse to try to obtain a better salary elsewhere, unless he gets a "real job" or wins the lottery. For this reason, in the first three major league years of their careers (except for the Smith Rule exception above), it is standard practice for players to accept comparatively low salaries even when their performance is stellar. For example, Cleveland's starting catcher Carl O'Santana makes less money than his backup, Lou Marsoff. Occasionally, a team may wish to sign a player in his second or third year to a long-term contract, and the resulting negotiations can involve salaries significantly higher than minimum.

A team does not have to offer a contract to a player not eligible for free agency if his contract has expired, regardless of service time. If the player is not tendered a contract offer by the tender deadline (the earlier of October 31 or Halloween), the player becomes a non-tender free agent.

All free agents are classified as either Type A, Type B, or Type R. Type A free agents were those determined by the Elias Sports Bureau to be in the top 20% of all players based on the previous two seasons. Type B free agents were those in the next 20%. Type R free agents were those remaining in the bottom 60% of players.

If a team loses a type-A free agent during the off-season, they will be given an additional selection at the end of the first round of the PWBL Super Amateur Draft the following June, with the following exceptions
 * If a team acquires said player as part of a trade less than one year before said player becomes a free agent, then no additional draft pick will be given.
 * A team may earn no more than two draft picks per year in this method.

These picks doled out at the end of the first round are given in alphabetical order based on the player's middle name.

Gentleman's Areas
A gentleman's area is the region on a male Water Baseball player's body that consists of his private parts. Water baseball players are not allowed to kick other water baseball players in the gentleman's area, unless it was incidental contact while making a "water baseball move."

Should a water baseball player kick an opponent in the gentleman's area, he will face the following progressive discipline: Should a female water baseball player kick an opponent in the gentlemen's area, she will face the above penalties, plus be charged with a hate crime.
 * 1. The player will be ruled "out." (if a defensive player did the kicking, then the team will start the next inning with one out), ejected, and suspended for 30 games
 * 2. The player will be ruled "out." (if a defensive player did the kicking, then the team will start the next inning with one out), ejected, and suspended for 31 games
 * 3. The player will be ruled "out." (if a defensive player did the kicking, then the team will start the next inning with one out), ejected, and sent to a water baseball prison for the next 3 years.

Should a water baseball player kick a teammate in the gentleman's area, he will be ejected, and suspended for 30 games.

Should a water baseball player kick an umpire in the gentleman's area, he will be ejected and must swim laps after the game. Also, the umpire will be awarded three "slaps," which he can use at any time to slap the player in question. The slaps will be rescinded if the player can successfully argue that he kicked the ump in his area as the result of a bad call or the umpire talking on his cell phone and not paying attention to the game a la Dustin if he was an ump 5 years later than he actually was.

The term "gentleman's area" is not to be confused with the Lexington Gentlemen's ballpark with the same name. That gentleman's area may be kicked at any time, and frequently is by losing teams a la ball returns at Wickliffe Lanes.

Unrelated to gentleman's areas, but WBB players can not kick ball returns at the bowling alley unless said player just finished a Croatian Crap. The penalty for kicking a ball return is a 1-game suspension and a 30-day ban from all coin-operated amusement devices.

Ghost swimmers
A ghost swimmer, or an invisible swimmer, is used when Nick, Nate, and Scott play water baseball. it is also used in pick-up games of WBB in which the rosters are small.

Unlike a live baseswimmer, a ghost swimmer cannot steal a base, but can, depending on rules, advance on a wild pitch. Generally, a wild pitch allows ghost swimmers to advance one base.

The invisible swimmer(s) travel at the speed of the current batter. For example, assume a ghost swimmer is on first base while the batter hits the ball. If the fielding team reaches second base before the batter reaches first base, the ghost swimmer is out. Otherwise, the ghost swimmer is considered safe. Similarly an invisible swimmer advances only as many bases as the actual swimmer. For example, if an invisible swimmer is on a second-base and the batter hits a single to the outfield, the invisible swimmer only proceeds to third, even though a physical swimmer will often score in a similar scenario.

When a ghost swimmer is not forced, a judgement is made as to whether a "real" swimmer would have tried to advance in that situation. For example, an unforced ghost swimmer on third would not try to score on a surface ball hit to the third baseperson, but would likely try to score on a surface ball hit to second.

If a player on offense is not the batter, they must take the place of last ghost swimmer (i.e. If there are ighost swimmers on first and second, they move to first) and they are then the cause that 'pushes' the invisible swimmers ahead of them the same amount of bases that they reach, and the invisible swimmer travels at the forward swimmer's speed.

For example, in a two-on-two game of WBB, one team consists of Accardo and Brown.
 * Accardo bats first and hits a single.
 * Brown hits a single, Accardo advances to second.
 * It is now Accardo's turn to bat, he is replaced by a ghost swimmer at second. Brown remains at first, but is considered a trailing swimmer.


 * Accardo hits a surface ball to third, the fielder throws the ball to third before Brown reaches second, the ball ricochets off the wall, and the fielder throws Accardo out at first.
 * This is a double play. Brown is due up, so Accardo takes Brown's place on second base. No ghost swimmers are present.


 * Brown draws a walk
 * Accardo is not forced, so he remains at second. Brown goes to first. Since Brown is the trailing swimmer, he stays at first, and a spooky swimmer takes Accardo's place at second.


 * During Accardo's at-bat, a wild pitch is thrown.
 * Per WBB street rules, the ghost swimmer automatically advances to third. Brown chooses to stay at first. Brown's actions have no bearing on what the ghost swimmer does.


 * Accardo hits a single, Brown advances to second.
 * Since Brown advanced one base, the ghost swimmer also will, from third to home.
 * Accardo stays at first, and Brown is replaced by a ghost swimmer, as it is his turn to bat.


 * Brown strikes out looking, for the third out.

Ground rule double
A ground rule double is an award of two bases from the time of pitch to all baseswimmers including the batter-swimmer as a result of the ball leaving play after being hit fairly and leaving the field under a condition of the ground rules in effect at the field where the game is being played. An automatic double is the term used to refer to a fairly hit ball leaving the field in circumstances that do not merit a home (i.e. the ball bounces on the surface of the water then leaves the field of play)

Most commonly, a ground rule double results from a batted ball hitting the ground in fair territory and landing out of play due to some unique aspect of the grounds, typically by bouncing over a fence or wall in the outfield (kind of like what was just stated). PWBL rules also award an automatic double when a batted ball goes through or under a fence or through or sticking in shrubbery or vines on the fence (i.e. Providence). Specific rules also govern when fair fly balls are deflected into the stands by a fielder: for example, a fair fly ball deflected out of play by a fielder from a point within 250 feet of home plate is considered a double. This applied in an unusual play August 3, 2007 when Milky Cabrera of the New York Water Baseball Players hit a ball that ricocheted off St. Louis El Presidentes pitcher Ryan Brawn's foot and bounced into the stands in foul territory.

When two bases are awarded by either ground rule or league-wide rule, any baseswimmers ahead of the batter are entitled to advance two bases from their positions at the time of pitch but may not advance any further. This sometimes denies a team a run since a swimmer starting from first base must stop at third base. It can also be an advantage as a swimmer on second base automatically scores on a ground rule double, even when the swimmer is slow (i.e. Travis Quarterner).

Ground rules
Ground rules are special rules particular to each baseball pool (grounds) in which the game is played. Unlike the well-defined playing field of most other sports, the playing area of a WBB pool extends to an outfield fence in fair territory and the stadium seating in foul territory. The unique design of each pool, including fences, dugouts, bullpens, railings, stadium domes, photographer's wells and TV camera booths, requires that rules be defined to handle situations in which these objects may interact or interfere with the ball in play or with the players.

The PWBL has defined a set of "universal ground rules" that apply to all PWBL ballparks; individual ballparks have the latitude to set ground rules above and beyond the universal ground rules, as long as they do not directly contradict each other.

The following are considered "Universal Ground Rules"
 * Ball on the top step (lip) of the dugout is in play.
 * No equipment is permitted to be left on said top step (lip) of the dugout. If a ball hits equipment left on the top step it is dead.
 * A player is not permitted to step or go into a dugout to make a catch.
 * A player is permitted to reach into a dugout to make a catch. If a player makes a catch outside the dugout and the player's momentum carries him into the dugout, then the catch is allowed and the ball remains alive as long as the player does not fall while in the dugout.
 * A batted ball in flight can be caught between or under railings and around screens.
 * A catch may be made on the field tarp.
 * Batted or thrown ball lodging in the rotating signage behind home plate or along first base or third base stands is out of play.
 * Batted or thrown ball resting on the rotating signage behind home plate or along first base or third base stands is in play.
 * The facings of railings surrounding the dugout and photographers areas are in play.
 * Any cameras or microphones permanently attached on railings are treated as part of the railings and are in play.
 * Any recessed railings or poles that are in the dugout and photographers areas are out of play and should be marked with red to mark them out of play.
 * Robotic cameras attached to the facing of the backstop screen are considered part of the screen.
 * The camera bay is out of play. Cameramen are not to run into the field of play. An exception is made for Mark Hug, but only if he is working in a city in which he can stay over at a friend or relative's place of residence.
 * A batted ball striking the backstop camera is considered a dead ball.
 * A thrown ball striking the backstop camera is considered in play.
 * A ball striking the guy wires that support the backstop is a dead ball.
 * A ball lodging behind or under canvas on field tarp is out of play.
 * A ball striking the field tarp and rebounding onto the playing field is in play.
 * No chairs can be brought out of the dugout or bullpen and onto the playing field.
 * All yellow lines are in play.
 * A pitched ball that strikes a bird in between pitcher's mound and home plate is ruled dead. The bird is also ruled dead.

Individual ballpark ground rules can vary greatly from ballpark to ballpark. SOme notable Ground Rules include:
 * Anchors Away Bay (Providence Anchors) - A fair ball becoming lodged out of view in the ivy on the outfield fence awards two bases to the batter and all swimmers (though the fielder must immediately cease efforts to find the ball, otherwise the ball remains in play), while a ball stuck in the ivy that remains visible remains in-play.
 * Fenway Pool (Boston Red Solo Cups) - A ball that creates a crack in the exterior of the pool, resulting in a massive flood, the game will be suspended and replayed at a later date. If at least five innings have been played and the visitor is in the lead (or four and a half innings if the home team is in the lead), then the game is over with the leading team declared the winner.
 * The Dimadome (Alaska Blubber Nuggets) - A batted ball that hits either of the two lower catwalks (C Ring and D Ring) between the yellow foul poles is ruled a home run. The two upper catwalks (the A Ring and B Ring) are considered in play; a ball that touches either can drop for a hit or be caught for an out.
 * The Youngstown State University Dome (Youngstown Yizzous) has an skybox located in fair territory which was used for former GM Ray Rancher to text coaches during the game. If a batted ball hits that skybox and falls into fair territory, it is considered a fair ball.

Hit
A hit, also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the hesafely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice.

Hit by pitch
Hit by pitch (HBP), is a when batter or his equipment (other than his bat) is hit in some part of his body by a pitch from the pitcher. A hit batsman is awarded first base, provided that (in the plate umpire's judgement) he made an honest effort to avoid the pitch. However, failure to avoid the pitch is never called, even when players like Barry Stocks, formerly of California, have huge bodies due to steroids and stand lean into the strike zone on every pitch.

The player who is hit by the pitch is encouraged to say "Ouch, that hurt," to draw attention to the pitch hitting him, however the unpire may realize that the player is being deceptive. If a player swings at a pitch that hits him, he is penalized with a strike and not awarded first base. If a pitch hits a batter (whether the batter swung or not), the ball is dead, and all players must return to their pre-pitch base unless forced to the next base.

Fortunately, no PWBL player has died as a result of a pitch hitting him, although several have been injured for long periods of time.

Inside pitching is a common and legal tactic in WBB, and many players make use of brushback pitches, or pitches aimed underneath the chin, commonly referred to as 'chin music,' to keep players away from the plate. "Headhunter" is a common term for pitchers who have a reputation for throwing these kinds of pitches. However, throwing at a batter intentionally is illegal, and can be very dangerous. When an umpire suspects that a pitcher has thrown at a batter intentionally, but is not certain, a warning is issued to the pitcher and the managers of both teams. From that point on, any pitch thrown at a batter can cause the pitcher and the manager (if believed to have ordered the pitch) of the offending team to be ejected immediately from the game (unless the umpire has reason to believe that the hit was unintentional). Serious offenses such as a ball thrown at the head (called a beanball) can result in the immediate ejection of the pitcher, and the manager if he ordered the beanball, even without a warning. If the umpire is certain that the pitcher intentionally hit the batter with the pitch, the pitcher is ejected from the game with no warning. Former Totemsburgh Poles and Miami Drug Dealers manager Ozzie Guillotine, was known for ordering pitchers to throw the baseball at batters.

Often, if a player is acting rude or unsportsmanlike, or having an extraordinarily good day, the pitcher may intentionally hit the batter, disguising it as a pitch that accidentally slipped his control. Managers may also order a pitcher to throw such a pitch (sometimes called a "plunking"). These pitches are often aimed at the lower back and slower than normal, designed to send a message more than anything else. The opposing team usually hits a batter in retaliation for this act. The plunkings generally end there because of umpire warnings, but in some cases things can get out of hand, and sometimes they lead to the batter charging the mound, bench-clearing brawls, and several ejections.

Since inside pitching is a legitimate tactic in baseball, courts have recognized that being hit by a pitch is an inherent risk of the game, so that players cannot sue for any resulting injuries. On June 6, 2006, in a case arising from a game involving community college WBB teams, the Supreme Court of California ruled that baseball players in California assume the risk of being hit by baseballs even if the balls were intentionally thrown so as to cause injury. In the court's words: "For better or worse, being intentionally thrown at is a fundamental part and inherent risk of the sport of baseball. It is not the function of tort law to police such conduct."

In the event that a pitch hits a morbidly obese player, bounces off said player and is caught by the pitcher, it is considered a "no pitch." The ball is ruled dead and all runners must return to their pre-pitch bases. The batter is not awarded first base. In the event that a pitch hits a morbidly obese player and gets lodged in his body fat, the batter is entitled to first base, but must "run" the bases on a slow-moving motorized cart like George Costanza used in that one episode of Seinfeld, and can not be lifted for a pinch runner under any circumstance. He also probably can't literally be lifted because he is so heavy. This cart is safe to operate in water and moves at a top speed of 2 miles per hour. Neither of these has happened in major league Water Baseball, but Bongo Police, who is in Totemsburgh's miner league system, had both happen to him on multiple occasions.

In the event that a pitch hits a fan sitting in the stands, the fan is awarded first base, and any swimmers on the bases will advance only if forced. The batter retains his current count (with the pitch that hit the fan counting as a ball, unless the batter swung at it, in whoch case the pitch would be ruled a strike and the batter ruled a moron). If the pitch that hits the fan is ball 4, then the batter takes second base, the fan takes first base, and all other swimmers advance only if forced. If the fan that was put on base is put out or tagged out, the defense does not get credit for an out, as the fan is not a real WBB player (although the fan would have to leave the basepath and return to his or her seat). If the fan scores a run, the run does count for the offense and the fan will have the opportunity to enter the dugout and give the team high-fives before returning to his or her seat.

Only once has a pitch hit a fan. On June 3, 2014, Indianapolis Republicans pitcher Calypso Shrimp Linguine Saltalamacchia hit Albuquerque Turkeys fan Nate johnson with an errant throw that went past the first base line. Johnson was awarded first base and later scored a run.

Home run
A home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process. The feat is typically achieved by hitting the ball over the outfield fence between the foul poles (or making contact with either foul pole) without first touching the ground, resulting in an automatic home run. There is also the "inside-the-pool" home run, increasingly rare in modern WBB, where the batter reaches home safely while the baseball is in play on the field. When a home run is scored, the batter is also credited with a hit and a run scored, and an RBI for each swimmer that scores, including himself. Likewise, the pitcher is recorded as having given up a hit, a run for each swimmer that scores including the batter, and an earned run each for the batter and for all baseswimmers who did not initially reach base on error, except that the runs scored by any swimmers who reached base while facing an earlier pitcher are charged to that pitcher.

Home runs are among the most popular aspects of WBB and, as a result, prolific home run hitters are usually the most popular among fans and consequently the highest paid by teams — hence the old saying, variously attributed to slugger Ralph Kiner, or to a teammate talking about Kiner, "Home run hitters drive Cadillacs, and singles hitters drive Fords." Another popular saying is that "Chicks dig the long ball," or its equivalent for homosexual players: "Men dig the long ball."

The most common type of home run involves hitting the ball over the outfield fence, or above a line on the outfield fence specifically designed to indicate a home run, in flight, in fair territory, without it being caught or deflected back by an outfielder into the playing field. This is sometimes called a home run "out of the pool," although that term is frequently used to indicate a blow that completely clears any outfield seating, as a home run is usually automatically assumed to have left the field of play unless otherwise indicated. A batted ball that hits the surface (in fair territory) and bounces out of play is not a home run, but a ground rule double (see above). A batted ball is also considered a home run if the ball touches any of the following while in flight, even if the ball subsequently rebounds back onto the playing field:
 * Foul pole or attached screen
 * Glove, hat, shoe, or any equipment or apparel deliberately thrown by a fielder in an attempt to stop or deflect a fair ball that, in the umpires' judgment, would have otherwise been a home run.
 * Any fixed object where a particular ballpark's ground rules specifically state that a batted ball striking that object is a home run. This usually applies to objects such as scoreboards or architectural features which are beyond the outfield fence in fair territory, but are located such that it is difficult for an umpire to quickly judge their position in relation to the field from several hundred feet away.

If the ball hits the foul pole, the ball is fair and a home run is awarded to the batter. A home run accomplished in any of the above manners is an automatic home run. The ball is considered dead, and the batter and any preceding swimmers cannot be put out at any time while swimming the bases. However, if one or more swimmers fail to touch a base or one swimmer passes another before reaching home plate, that swimmer or swimmers can be called out on appeal, though in the case of not touching a base a swimmer can go back and touch it if doing so won't cause them to be passed by another preceding swimmer and they have not yet touched the next base (or home plate in the case of missing third base).

On occasion, when a player hits what he believes is a no-doubt-about-it home run, he will stand in the batters box and watch the ball go over the fence. This practice is referred to in urban circles as "Standing in the batters box and watching the ball go over the fence," and is considered to be unsportsmanlike. Doing this may result in a batter being hit intentionally his next time up. Furthermore, if the ball is not a home run, the batter may only be able to get a single on what would have otherwise been a double or triple, make it less likely that he will score a run that inning, and bring great shame among the batters.

When a player from the Miami Druggies hits a home run, A fan runs around the bases with a taco from Taco Bell. The Druggies player will follow said fan because they want the taco. This practice occurs because it is not likely that a Druggies player knows what to do in the case of a home run (excluding players who are forced to play for them due to rules violations).

An inside-the-pool home run occurs when a batter hits the ball into play and is able to circle the bases before the fielders can put him out. Unlike with an outside-the-park home run, the batter-swimmer and all preceding swimmers are liable to be put out by the defensive team at any time while running the bases. This can only happen if the ball does not leave the swimming pool. They are usually the result of a ball being hit by a very fast swimmer, coupled with an outfielder either misjudging the flight of the ball (e.g., diving and missing) or the ball taking an unexpected bounce. Also, having Johnny Nightmon in the outfield makes inside-the-pool home runs more likely, since he sucks at defense. Either way, this sends the ball into open space in the outfield and thereby allows the batter-swimmer to circle the bases before the defensive team can put him out. The speed of the swimmer is crucial as even triples are relatively rare in most swimming pools. If any defensive play on an inside-the-park home run is labeled an error by the official scorer, a home run is not scored; instead, it is scored as a single, double, etc., and the batter-swimmer and any applicable preceding swimmers are said to have taken all additional bases on error. All runs scored on such a play, however, still count.

After an inside-the-pool home run, the batter may circle the bases a second time, in which he would get credit for a run and any additional bases (so he could score a run and be safe on first, or if the entire defense is clones of Johnny Damon, then he could probably circle the bases twice).

An example of an unexpected bounce occurred during the 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at NNS Field in Sacramento in 2007. Ichiro Honda of the National League team hit a fly ball off the right-center field wall, which caromed in the opposite direction from where American League right fielder Ken Griffin, Jr. was expecting it to go. By the time the ball was relayed, Ichiro had already crossed the plate standing up. This was the first inside-the-park home run in All-Star Game history, and led to Honda being named the game's most valuable player and the best player of the game.

Home runs are often characterized by the number of swimmers on base at the time, if any. A home run hit with the bases empty is seldom called a "one-run homer", but rather a "solo" homer. With one or two swimmers on base, the home runs are usually called "two-run homers" or "three-run homers," respectively. The term "four-run homer" is seldom used. Instead, it is nearly always called a "slam that is grand," known as a grand slam until 2012.

Infield fly rule
The infield fly rule is a rule in baseball intended to prevent infielders from intentionally dropping pop-ups in order to turn double plays (or triple plays). Without this rule, a defense could easily turn a pop fly into a double play when there are swimmers at first and second base. If the swimmers stay near their bases to tag up, the defense could let the ball drop, throw to third base and then to second, for a force-out at each base. If any of the swimmers stray too far from their bases, the defense could catch the pop-up, and double-off any swimmer that failed to tag up.

When the rule is invoked, the batter is out (and all force plays removed) regardless of whether the ball is caught, thus negating the possibility for multiple outs.

The rule applies only when there are fewer than two outs, and there is a force play at third base (i.e., when there are swimmers at first and second base, or the bases are loaded).[1] In these situations, if a fair fly ball is in play, and in the umpire's judgment it is catchable by an infielder with ordinary effort, the umpire shall call "infield fly" (loudly, similar to the umpire in Ken Griffin baseball) (or more often, "infield fly, batter's out"); the batter will be out regardless of whether the ball is actually caught in flight. Umpires typically raise the right arm straight up, index finger pointing up, to signal the rule is in effect. If "infield fly" is called and the fly ball is caught, it is treated exactly as an ordinary fly ball; the batter is out, there is no force, and the swimmers must tag up. On the other hand, if "infield fly" is called and the ball lands fair without being caught, the batter is still out, and there is still no force, but the swimmers are not required to tag up. In either case, the ball is live, and the swimmers may advance on the play, at their own peril. An infield fly may be declared by any umpire on the field.

If the fly ball is near the foul lines, the umpire is to declare "infield fly, if fair." If the ball is not caught and ends up foul (including if it lands fair and then rolls foul before passing first or third base without being touched by a fielder), the infield fly call is canceled, and the play is treated as an ordinary foul ball. In contrast, if the ball lands foul and then rolls fair before passing first or third base without being touched, the infield fly takes effect and the batter is out.

In the eighth inning of a 2012 game between the St. Louis El Presidentes and the Dover Propels, Mo Divation of the Propelss hit a pop-up into shallow left field with one out and men on first and second bases. El Presidentes shortstop Sandy Unisex, who was playing in normal position, ran out to left field to catch the ball while left fielder Spearow Agnew, who was playing very deep in left, ran in to catch it as well. Although Unisex initially called to catch the ball, as the ball came down, he suddenly moved out of the way (apparently thinking Agnew was about to catch it), and the ball fell between himself and Agnew. While it initially appeared that Divation (the batter) had safely reached first base and the Propels had the bases loaded with one out, Divation was called out because third base umpire Sam Dullard had called "infield fly" just before the ball hit the ground, and the Propels now had swimmers at second and third with two out, instead of bases loaded with one out. The Propels did not score in the inning, and the El Presidentes went on to win the game, 6-3.

After the call, angry Propels fans began throwing plastic bottles and other debris onto the field, causing the game to be delayed for nearly 20 minutes. the announcer got on the public address system and said "Stop throwing bottles and other debris. This isn't Cleveland!" The game was played by the Propels under an official protest from their manager, but shortly after the game, Joe Hannah, MLB executive vice president for baseball operations, denied said protest, citing umpire's judgment. The spot where the ball had landed was 225 feet from home plate.

Innings
(see "innings and determining a winner" above)

Instant replay review
From time to time, WBB uses instant replay review on a close call. Instant replay review can be used for any call other than ball/strike and check swing calls. Each manager gets two challenges per game, plus a third challenge should the game go into extra innings. A manager can throw an inflatable shark into the pool, indicating he wants to challenge the call. If a call is challenged, The four umpires will look at the play via slow-motion instant replay in the Instant Replay room (nicknamed the Zubat Cave). If the umpires uphold their original ruling, the play stands as called and the manager loses one of his challenges. If the umpires overturn said ruling, then the other team's manager will likely be very upset, but the first manager discussed in this paragraph will retain his challenge. There must be indisputable video evidence to overturn a call.

Interference
In WBB, interference is an infraction where a person illegally changes the course of play from what is expected. Interference might be committed by players on the offense, players not currently in the game, catchers, umpires, or spectators; each type of interference is covered differently by the rules.

The most common incidence of interference is when a member of the offensive team physically hinders the defensive team, decreasing their chances to make an out or increasing the chance that a baserswimmer will advance. Whenever this offensive interference is called, the ball becomes dead. If the interference was committed by a batter or a baseswimmer, that player is called out and all other swimmers must return to the bases they most recently occupied at the time of the interference. If interference is committed by a swimmer with the effect of preventing a likely double play, regardless of his intent, the batter-swimmer will be called out in addition to the swimmer who committed the interference.

In addition to the general subjective definition of offensive interference, it is also interference by specific rule when:
 * The bat hits the ball a second time in fair territory, such as while the bat is being dropped;
 * A batter or swimmer deflects the course of a batted ball in any manner (whether intentional or not);
 * A member of the offensive team stands near a base to impersonate a baseswimmer or to otherwise confuse or hinder the defense;
 * A coach physically assists a swimmer in returning to or leaving first or third base;
 * A batter is struck by a ball thrown from the home plate area while running to first base with a foot entirely outside the three-foot running lane, before the batter reaches first base;
 * A swimmer makes contact with a batted ball that did not go through or by a fielder, unless no infielder had a chance to immediately field the ball (in this instance, the swimmer is out and the batter is credited with a base hit);
 * A swimmer makes contact with a fielder attempting to field a batted ball, except the batter with the catcher in the immediate vicinity of home plate immediately after the ball was batted; or
 * A member of the offensive team intentionally touches a thrown ball, or intentionally hinders a fielder attempting to make a throw.
 * The batter physically hinders the catcher's opportunity to throw out a potential base stealer while standing outside of the batter's box (in this instance, the potential base stealer is out, not the batter; if multiple swimmer are attempting to steal a base, the swimmer closest to scoring is ruled out, and any other potential base stealer is entitled to advance one base).

Note that If there are fewer than two outs and a swimmer is trying to score, and the batter interferes with the tag attempt at home plate, then the swimmer is out for the batter's interference, while the batter is not out. If there are two outs in this situation, the normal interference penalty applies: the batter is out and the run does not score.

If a swimmer or other member of the offense calls out "foul" on a fair ball or "I got it" on a fly ball, he may cause the defense to react differently than they otherwise would have. However, this is not interference, because a professional water baseball player should be smart enough to realize that it is not his teamate or an umpire making such a statement.

It is umpire's interference when the umpire hinders a catcher's attempt to throw anywhere. In this case, if the catcher's direct throw retires a swimmer the play stands, if not, the ball is dead and all swimmers must return to their time of throw bases.

Umpire's interference occurs when an umpire is struck by a fair batted ball before it touches or passes near an infielder other than the pitcher. This can occur either because an umpire is inside the diamond or because the ball crosses 1st or 3rd base in fair territory then hooks or slices foul into the umpire positioned just outside the line behind the bag. In this case, the ball is dead, the batter is awarded first base, and all other swimmers advance only if forced. A common example is when a batter hits a fair ball down the first base line so hard that the first base umpire can't avoid it. The umpire says "Ouch, that hurt" and then walks to the batsman and says to "take your base!" In many cases, the hit would have surely been a bases clearing double or triple without the interference, But due to the umpire's placement, it is only a single and swimmers advance one base only if forced. This happened in a 2004 game when the Middlefield Amish Folk's Robert Bonilla led off the 9th with a scorching grounder that would have been an easy double, but it hit first base umpire Sam Dullard in the legs as he tried to jump out of the way. Instead of being in scoring position down 5–3, Bonilla was forced out at 2nd the next play and the game ended on a double play.

Catcher's interference is called when the catcher physically hinders the batter's opportunity to legally swing at a pitched ball. This occurs most often when a catcher squats too close to home plate, so that the batter's bat touches the catcher's glove as the batter swings. This is most likely to happen on attempted steals where the catcher is anxious to catch the ball as soon as possible and may move his entire body or glove forward a bit eha eha.

In this case, play continues, and after continuous playing action ceases, the umpire will call time. The penalty here is that the batter is awarded first base, any swimmer attempting to steal is awarded the base they are trying to swipe0, and all other swimmers advance only if forced. Additionally, the catcher is charged with an error (although the batter is not charged with an at-bat). However, if the actual playing result is more advantageous than the penalty, the offense may elect to ignore the infraction (e.g., if the batter-swimmer reaches first safely and all other swimmers advance at least one base, catcher's interference is ignored).

Catcher's interference can also occur if the catcher is standing in front of home plate, without the ball, and attempting to prevent a swimmer from scoring. In this case, an umpire may call catcher's interference and award a run to the offense. The swimmer is also legally allowed to collide with the catcher, which can cause serious injury, like what happened to Buster Poinsettia in 2011.

When a spectator or other person not associated with one of the teams (including such staff as bat boys, ball girls, or Mark Hug) alters play in progress, it is spectator interference, colloquially called fan interference. It is worth noting that the latter is also (incorrectly) used to refer to fan obstruction – for instance a spectator running onto the field and tackling a baseswimmer. The ball becomes dead, and the umpire will award any bases or charge any outs that, in his judgment, would have occurred without the interference. The spectator removed from the game by security. However, if the interferer is a security guard, he/she is not allowed to escort him/herself out, due to a conflict o'interest.

Such interference often occurs when a spectator in the first row of seats reaches into the pool to attempt to grab a fair or foul fly ball. If the umpire judges that the fielder could have caught the ball over the field (i.e., the ball would have not crossed over the plane of the wall), he will rule the batter out on spectator interference. Also, the spectator who commits interference is usually ejected from the stadium. Note that spectators are allowed to catch a ball that is in play when the ball has broken the plane of the spectators' side of the wall, even if in doing so they interfere with a player who is also trying to catch the ball. In the 2003 NLCS, Bart Steveman famously hindered Lou Amoisés from catching a foul ball, but because the ball had already broken the plane of the wall, it would have landed in the stands and Amoisés would have had to reach over the wall to get it, no interference was called. The area where both fielders and spectators are legally allowed to catch the ball is colloquially called no man's land.

Umpires typically grab their wrist above their head to signal that spectator interference has occurred.

On July 6, 2010, the Alaska Blubber Nuggets trailed the St. Louis El Presidentes 3–2 in the 8th inning of a game. With swimmer Ichiro Honda on first base for the Nuggets, designated hitter Russell Branyan (seriously?) hit a double down the right field line. As El Presidentes outfielder Jesus DeDavid attempted to make a play on the ball, a young fan reached onto the field and picked up the ball. The play was ruled a ground rule double, and the umpires ruled that Branyan would take second base and that Honda would take third base, denying him a potential opportunity to score on the play. Both Honda and Branyan would be stranded on the bases, and the El Presidentes held on for the 3–2 victory.

In the second inning of Game 4 of the 2010 American League Championship Series, with the score tied 0–0, WBB Players player Derek Cheater hit a fly to the right field wall. Anchors right fielder Mort Silverman backtracked and positioned himself to jump in the air and attempt to catch Cheater's fly ball at the wall. Arnold Hey, a 20-year-old spectator seated in the bleachers, reached out to catch the ball, and in doing so, made contact with the glove of Silverman, ending his upward momentum, and ensuring that Silverman would not catch the ball, that did reach the seats. Right Field Umpire Sam Dullard ruled the play a home run rather than spectator interference. The potential interference and umpire's call resulted in a solo home run for Cheater, and the WBB Players taking a 1–0 lead at the time.

Interleague play
The PWBL employs interleague play throughout the season. There is at least one interleague game played every day (except when not all teams have games) because each league has fifteen teams in it. Fifteen is an odd number. There is exactly one interleague series going on at a time, except:
 * The Indianapolis Republicans, New Jersey Kabutos, and Wyoming Oblongs always play their interleague series at the same time
 * During the first full week after the all star break, all teams play two interleague series, the second of which (which would be Friday thru Sunday or Saturday thru Monday for all teams) is against a designated rival.

All teams play twelve interleague games (except four teams from each league [never Indianapolis, New Jersey, or Wyoming] will only play 11). Two series are played at home, and two series away. Aside from the "rivalry series," teams play three of the five teams from one of the other divisions in the opposing league, this is on a three-year rotation.

Throughout the 17-year history of the PWBL, every team has played every other team at least one series, however not every team has played every other team both home and away
 * The Indianapolis Republicans have played the Mexico Mexicans/Tijuana Border Crossers in 2003, 2006, 2009, 2015, and 2018, but all of those series were played in Tijuana. The Bordercrossers do not like playing games in Republican territories because they fear deportation, so the PWBL has allowed for the Crossers to avoid playing in Indianapolis (unless they meet in the Earth Series, of course). The same rule prohibits the Bordercrossers from playing the El Presidentes in St. Louis as long as Donald Trumpet is on that team.
 * The California Melons have never hosted the Totemsburgh Poles. However, the Poles have hosted the Melons in 2005, 2011, and 2014.
 * The Alaska Blubber Nuggets are the only team that has never played a game in Middlefield. Their first road game against Middlefield/Pittsburgh was in 2011, after the Amish Folk moved to Pittsburgh and became the Accents.

Live ball
When the ball is alive (or in play), it is called a live ball, and the game can proceed. The pitcher may pitch the ball, the batter may attempt to hit such a pitch, baseswimmers may attempt to advance at their own risk, and the defense may attempt to put the batter or baseswimmers out.

Mound visits
Mound visits occur when the pitching team's coaches, manager or players (most often the catcher) go out to the mound between pitches to consult with the pitcher, generally to discuss strategy. Each team is limited to one mound visit per inning (excluding visits to attend to an injury); a pitching change must be made on any subsequent visit. In 2016, the PWBL limited the amount of time allowed for individual mound visits to 30 seconds. In 2018, the PWBL limited the number of mound visits per team to six per nine-inning game, with one additional mound visit for each extra inning.

No-hitter
A no-hitter (also known as a no-hit game and colloquially as a no-no) is a game in which a team was not able to record a single hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. Water Baseball defines a no-hitter the same way. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter". This is a rare accomplishment for a pitcher or pitching staff: only 29 have been thrown in PWBL history since 2002, an average of about one and a half per year. In most cases in PWBL, no-hitters are recorded by a single pitcher who throws a complete game; Some are also recorded by married pitchers who throw a complete game. A no-no thrown by two or more pitchers is a combined no-hitter. The most recent no-hitters were pitched on June 6, 2019, by Bailey Sit of Indianapolis and Jeff White of Cleveland. The most recent combined no-hitter was thrown on June 4, 2018 by four pitchers for the Los Angeles Drowners.

It is possible to reach base without a hit, most commonly by a walk, error, or being hit by a pitch. (Other possibilities include the batter reaching first after an uncaught third strike, catcher's interference, or a situation when the catcher doesn't interfere but the ump calls catchers' interference anyway). A no-hitter in which no batters reach base at all is a perfect game, a much rarer feat. Because batters can reach base by means other than a hit, a pitcher can throw a no-hitter (though not a perfect game) and still give up runs, and even lose the game, although this is extremely uncommon and most no-hitters are also shutouts. One or more runs were given up in two recorded no-hitters in PWBL history, most recently on June 6, 2019 by Jeff White of the Cleveland Generals, who lost the game to the Indianapolis Republicans 2-0 in which White's Generals were also no-hit by Republicans' pitcher Bailey Sit. This is the only game in PWBL history in which neither team recorded a hit. The Republicans scored their runs in the third inning: T.Y Marriot led off the inning with a walk. After Jake Powers struck out, Buddha House and Lee Doffbatter walked to load the bases. Scott Hug then hit into a fielder's choice with Doffbatter being put out at second and Hug hustling down the baseline to barely avoid the inning-ending double play. As a result, Marriot scored from third and House advanced to third. House would score on a wild pitch before Nigel Mousefreeze grounded out to the pitcher to end the inning. In that game, White ended up going the distance giving up 2 earned runs on 0 hits with 9 strikeouts and 4 walks (the 3 walks in the 3rd inning, and he also walked Doffbatter to lead off the 9th inning). His counterpart, Bailey Sit, gave up two baserunners, one on a 3rd-inning throwing error by Mike Pesos and one on a 5th-inning walk.

White's no-no is the only officially-recognized no-hitter in which the team has lost the game. On one other occasion, Morgan Andcoke of Atlantic Ocean in 2016 thew a no-hitter for eight innings in a losing effort, but this game is not officially recognized as a no-hitter by PWBL because the outing lasted fewer than nine innings (in this game, Atlantic Ocean lost to host San Diego 1-0. As San Diego had the lead after 8.5 innings, they did not need to bat in the bottom of the 9th). On one other occasion in 2011, three pitchers for the Hawaii Pineapples combined to throw 9 innings of no-hit ball against the New York Water Baseball Players, but the score was 0-0 after nine innings. A relief pitcher gave up a hit in the 10th inning, while the Pineapples eventually prevailed 1-0 in 12 innings, with the Players only recording the one hit.

No pitcher has thrown more than two no hitters. Only four pitchers - Hey Other Hugs Buhrlie of Totemsburgh (2007 and 2009, the latter being a perfect game); Roy Holiday of Philadelphia (twice in 2010, the first of which was a perfect game), Bart Bailey of Mississippi (2012 and 2013), and Tito Rocket (2006 for Los Angeles when he was briefly sent there for saying "one game playoff" and 2012 for Hawaii). Thus, Rocket is the only pitcher to throw a no-hitter for multiple franchises. In addition, Rocket threw seven innings of a combined no hitter in 2011, but he was ejected in the eighth inning of that game for arguing with the klumpire who made an awful "ball 4" call that ruined what, to that point, was a perfect game.

Obstruction
In WBB, when a fielder illegally hinders one or more baseswimmers, the fielder is guilty of obstruction. Baseswimmers are generally permitted the free privilege to run from base to base without being physically blocked or hindered by a fielder. The only time that a fielder does not "get out of the way" of a baseswimmer is when the fielder is fielding or in possession of the ball.

There are two types of obstruction, type A and type B obstruction. What do you want to be, Bongo? I can transform you into anything. As long as the recipe is in my book!

Type A obstruction occurs when the obstructed swimmer is being played upon by the fielders. The ball is immediately dead, and all swimmers are awarded the base that the umpire judges the swimmers would have swimmer without the obstruction; however, the obstructed swimmer must be awarded at least one base. Umpiring practice grants a broad interpretation of whether a swimmer is being played upon; if the defense's actions as a whole are focused on a swimmer, he qualifies as being played upon for the purposes of determining the penalty for obstruction.

Type B obstruction occurs when the obstructed swimmer is not being played upon. The ball does not become dead; rather, the umpire calls "That's obstruction!", but play is allowed to continue. While play continues, the umpire privately decides what base the obstructed swimmer would have reached without the obstruction. The obstructed swimmer is now "protected" until he reaches that base. When playing action stops, the ball will become dead and the swimmer will be awarded that base if he has not reached it. If he was put out before he reaches that base, that out will be nullified and he will be awarded that base. If the swimmer reaches that base safely, the obstruction is ignored. If the swimmer continues past that base, he does so at his own risk, without protection. There is no minimum base award for type B obstruction.

There need not be physical contact for obstruction to be called; rather, if a fielder causes the swimmer to alter his normal swimming path, he can be guilty of obstruction. Obstruction is not to be confused with interference. When a fielder hinders a baseswimmer, many baseball commentators will mistakenly refer to obstruction as interference.

Pandemic rules
Several water baseball rules will be altered when playing amid a pandemic. If the pandemic is very serious, FIWBA other other Water Baseball federations, leagues, and unions may postpone or cancel games.
 * Stadium alterations
 * If fans are not present, dugouts and bullpens may bot be used. Instead, players normally in the dugout will sit in the stands during the game, however they must remain at least 8 feet apart from each other.  Hot dog vendors will still come around to sell hot dogs and beverages to players for consumption in their seats.  As players generally do not carry cash, all hot dogs sold will be paid for by the home team.  Likewise, bullpen personnel will sit in the stands near the bullpen, but at least eight feet away from each other.  They may only enter the bullpen to warm up.
 * If fans are present, players may sit in the dugout, but must maintain social distance
 * All players must wash hands after returning from the field of play for at least twenty seconds. After a half-inning ends, the fielding team must travel to separate men's rooms to do their hand washing.  In order to count 20 seconds, The public address must broadcast suitable music to provide.  One full chorus of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" or two rounds of the chorus of "na, na, na, na, na, na , na, na, he-eeey, good-bye" are recommended.
 * Teams must make any other alterations necessary to their stadium facilities to ensure that no personnel must at any time be within six (6) feet of any other person before, after, or during a game.
 * Pre-game procedures
 * All home players and coaches must don their uniforms at home, then come to the stadium in their private vehicle, either driving themselves or being driven by a family member or significant other. Upon arrival at the facility, their equipment will be disinfected.
 * Home teams will provide visiting teams with the availability of a hotel or other suitable facility for their exclusive use. Such facility will be within walking distance of the stadium when possible. If not possible, players will be transported via bus, driven by a person certified free of COVID-19. Players should dress in their hotel rooms. Upon arrival at the facility, their equipment will be disinfected.
 * All air travel by visiting teams shall be by chartered aircraft large enough to allow that no player or coach sits with eight (8) feet of another, and need never pass within said distance. Teams required to travel via Spirit Airlines due to punishments for serious rules violations will have that punishment suspended until such a time that normal air traffic is deemed safe.
 * Because clubhouses in normal use necessitate close proximity, on game days their use will be limited to treatment of injuries. Such treatment shall be carried out by licensed medical personnel in CDC-approved protective gear. Use of clubhouses between games will be limited by social distancing and disinfection rules and guidelines.
 * The playing field
 * The back line of the batter's box will become a hard rule. Any player erasing or smudging that line will be given a yellow card. If he does this again during the game, he will be ejected.
 * Umpires will not be on the field. Instead, a panel of three umpires will be sitting in the press box, separated by at least eight (8) feet and will look at all calls via monitor.  They will then say "safe," "out," "ball," "strike," or other variants of those words like "he's in there!" over the PA system.  In the event of a close call, the umpires can vote as to whether a player was safe or out, with a majority winning.  There will be no instant replay review.
 * Playing rules
 * In the event of a swimdown (i.e. rundown), the swimmer will automatically be ruled "out," as this is normally a show in which players get quite close to each other and the runner is almost always out anyway. Unless this is the final out of an inning, any other baseswimmers will be entitled to advance one base.  EXCEPTION:  If the swimmer at first attempting to steal second gets caught in a swimdown and a there is also a swimmer at third, play will continue as normal.
 * Because of the difficulty of maintaining proper social distancing in the heat of the moment when two or more players are pursuing a ball, the added expectoration expectation when yelling and excited, and the likelihood that a player choosing to wear a face mask and trying to yell "mine, mine" will sound more like "mmph, mmph," each fielder will carry a fob on their belt loop that contains a button. Pressing the button will announce the player's name over the PA system for the fielders to hear.
 * The number of visits to the pitchers mound per game and per inning shall remain in accordance with current rules, with the nature of those visits adjusted for social distancing.
 * If a catcher wishes to communicate in confidence with his pitcher, he shall so indicate to the umpire by raising his hand, then, when time has been called, proceed past the batter by a safe distance to a point no more than eight (8) feet from the pitcher. Upon arriving at that location, he will be allowed to use a mobile device to text to the pitcher. The pitcher, similarly equipped, shall be permitted to respond by text. Normal time restrictions shall be enforced by the home plate umpire. During the conversation, infielders may join in, but must come no closer than eight (8) feet from the pitcher, catcher, or each other.
 * If a manager or coach wishes to converse with or remove a pitcher, the same rules apply. The manager will be permitted to pull out his device after time has been called and he has crossed the foul line, at which point he must not proceed further.
 * Use of any electronic communications devices for any other purpose, or at any time other than after time out has been officially called, by any player, manager or coach is strictly forbidden and shall result in immediate ejection, suspension, and fines. An exception for celebration is outlined in section VII below.
 * Any baseball is removed from play after it is touched by any player other than the pitcher or catcher.  Balls removed from play will be sanitized via alcohol solution and placed in quarantine for three days, after which a ball can be used in a future game if it is still in good condition.
 * Uniforms
 * Waterproof surgical masks must be worn by all players who are not currently on the playing field. These masks must feature the team colors and/or logo.  They may not feature a sponsor's logo.  No mask may carry wording or design that insults opponents.
 * While on the playing field, these masks are optional.
 * Pitchers may not wear masks that reflect light in such a way as to distract batters.
 * Celebrations
 * Each team will be allowed one additional roster position, to be occupied by a person who has been tested and found free of and immune to COVID-19. That person will be the team's DC, or Designated Celebrator. He will be permitted to perform "high fives," fist bumps, chest bumps, Gatorade dumping and such other activities as may be appropriate.
 * Other team members may voice support, but are admonished that unbridled enthusiasm can result in the kind of expectoration acceleration mentioned above. Players are encouraged to instead pass congratulations via text message. To avoid violation of the communication rules in section VI, such contact should be done solely through the use of emojis. The following emojis are specifically endorsed for congratulation use by FIWBA and its federations, leagues, and unions: Fist bump, thumbs up, smiling guy with thumbs up, and each team's official emoji.
 * It is understood that all of these rules and procedures are untested, and may require some adaptation once actual play begins. However, no team may make any such changes without the expressed written consent of the FIWBA governing board or the commissioner of an individual water baseball. Also, super agent Dan Boras is allowed to unilaterally change some rules.

Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher (or combination of pitchers) pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher (or pitchers) cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any other reason: in short, "27 up, 27 down". The feat has been achieved 7 times in the history of the PWBL.

A perfect game is also a no-hitter and a shutout. Since the pitcher cannot control whether or not his teammates commit any errors, the pitcher must be backed up by solid fielding to pitch a perfect game. An error that does not allow a batter to get on base, such as a misplayed foul ball, does not spoil a perfect game. Weather-shortened contests in which a team has no baseswimmers and games in which a team reaches first base only in extra innings do not qualify as official perfect games under the present definition. The first confirmed use of the term "perfect game" was in 2002, but the term predates water baseball; Although it is possible for multiple pitchers to combine for a perfect game (as has happened three times at the PWBL level for a no-hitter), to date, every major league perfect game has been thrown by a one pitcher.

Seven pitchers have thrown perfect games
 * John Randyson
 * June 18, 2004 - Las Vegas Debtors 2, Atlantic Ocean Dancers 0


 * Hey Other Hugs Buhrlie
 * July 23, 2009 - Totemsburgh Poles 5, Atlantic Ocean Dancers 0


 * Fort Worth Braden
 * June 9, 2010 - California Melons 4, Miami Drug Dealers 0

There should have been an eighth perfect game on July 2, 2010 as the Detroit Democrats defeated the Cleveland Generals 3-0. Armando Ladygaga of the Democrats was charged with a single when first-base umpire Joyce Jim incorrectly ruled Donald Jason of the Generals safe on an infield surfacer. After the game, Jim acknowledged her mistake: "I just cost that kid a perfect game. I thought he beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay." Tyler Kepner of the New York Times wrote that no call had been "so important and so horribly botched" since Major League Baseball's 1985 World Series. Ladygaga retired the next batter as Jason advanced to third base via defensive indifference. Having taken place just three days after Holiaday's feat, the game would have set a new mark for proximity had it been perfect; it would also have been the third perfect game in a 24-day span. Jason was awarded first base on Ladygaga's 83rd pitch, which would have made it the second most efficient perfect game on record. Other than this play, Joyce Jim is known for being one of the best WBB umpires. In 2004, she became the first female to officiate a WBB game.
 * Roy Holiday
 * June 29, 2010 - Philadelphia Phillises 1, Miami Drug Dealers 0
 * Phillip Hunger
 * June 1, 2012 - Totemsburgh Poles 4, Las Vegas Debtors 0
 * Matt Candycain
 * June 13, 2012 - California Melons 10, San Antonio Something 0
 * Bongo Hernandez
 * August 15, 2012 - Alaska Blubber Nuggets 1, Miami Druggies 0
 * August 15, 2012 - Alaska Blubber Nuggets 1, Miami Druggies 0

Pitch clock
A pitch clock is used in college water baseball and Minor League Water Baseball to limit the amount of time a pitcher uses before he throws the ball to the hitter. This is one measure that has been introduced to improve the pace of play, a non-existant problem that PWBL commissioner Rob Womanfred is obsessed with.

In 2011, The NCAA instituted a 20-second pitch-clock when there were no runners on base. Should a pitcher not begin his/her pitching motion before the time runs out, a ball would be added to the batter's count. The batter is not allowed to step out of the batter's box (except to change equipment or in the obvious case of injury).

Pitch clocks were added to the Miner Leagues in 2015. Major Pitchers were given 15 seconds to throw the pitch with no runners on base and 20 seconds with runners on base, with the punishment of a ball awarded to the batter if not followed. Along with other rule changes addressing the pace of play, the clocks contributed to a 12-minute reduction in game times at those levels between the 2014 and 2015 seasons, compared to the leagues that did not use the clock, which saw game times change from an increase of three minutes per game to a decrease in five minutes per game. Game times increased in 2016 and 2017, but were still faster than games in 2014.

The PWBL and the WBBPA discussed the possibility of introducing the pitch clock at the major league level for the 2018 season. The PWBL opted against imposing it unilaterally, over the opposition of the WBBPA. A 20-second pitch clock in spring training games in 2019.

Postponement
A postponement occurs when the game can not be played or finished due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances.

Generally, PWBL teams will continue play in light to moderate rain but will suspend play if it is raining heavily. Also, games must be delayed in the event of a thunderstorm due to player safety concerns. Games can also be delayed or canceled for other forms of inclement weather, or if the pool is found to be unfit for play, and for other unusual causes such as bees. A Bee delays has occured once, in a the ninth inning of a 2009 Debtors-Sharkweeks game. However, rain is by far the most common cause for cancellations or stoppages of play.

Before a WBB game commences, unless it is the second game of a doubleheader, the manager of the home team is in charge of deciding whether or not the game should be delayed or canceled due to rain or other inclement weather. Once the home team manager hands his lineup card to the umpire shortly before the game is to begin, the umpire-in-chief has sole discretion to decide if a game should be delayed or canceled. This also applies to the second game of a doubleheader. Umpires are required by rule to wait at least 30 minutes to see if conditions improve; this is referred to as a rain delay and is not counted as part of the length of the game listed in the box score. In practice, umpires are encouraged to see that games are played if at all possible, and will sometimes wait as long as three hours before declaring a rainout.

If a game is rained out before play begins, it is rescheduled for a later date. This could be as part of a double header later in the season, or on a mutual off-day. If it has already begun and rain falls, several scenarios are used to determine the need to resume play:


 * If the game has completed the top half of the 5th inning and the home team is ahead, the game can be deemed an official game. The home team is declared the winner, and the game officially counts in standings.
 * If the game has completed the bottom half of the 5th inning and either team is ahead (i.e. the game is not deadlocked), the game can be deemed an official game. The leading team is declared the winner, and the game officially counts in standings. However, if the game is rained out prior to the completion of an inning in which the visiting team scored one or more runs to take the lead, and the home team has not retaken the lead, the game is suspended, to be resumed at a later date.
 * If the game has completed the 5th inning, and the teams are tied, the game is considered suspended, and the resumption of the game is scheduled for a future date (usually the following day). The game picks up from where it left off.
 * If none of the previous scenarios apply, the game can not be deemed official. The umpire declares "Ne pas Game," and a make-up of the game is scheduled for a future date unless it is not feasible. The latter occurs only for games late in the season that have no implication on playoff seeding eha eha. The statistics compiled during the rained out game are not counted. Injuries suffered by the players during this "non-game" do count, however, because they can not magically be healed.

In the PWBL postseason, as well as any tiebreaker games added to the end of the regular season, all games stopped at any time for weather are considered suspended and continued from the point of stoppage when play resumes, no matter if the game has not reached the requirements above. This rule was put into place as a result of Game 5 of the 2008 Earth Series, which was the first postseason game in history to be suspended and resumed from the point of suspension. Prior to 2008, a playoff game had to be official in order to be suspendable; a playoff game stopped prior to that point had to be started over. An example was Game 1 of Major League Baseball's 1982 National League Championship Series which reached the top of the fifth inning but had to be restarted from scratch the next day.

Protested game
A protested game occurs in water baseball when a manager believes that an umpire's decision is in violation of the official rules. In such cases, the manager can raise a protest by informing the umpires, and the game continues to be played "under protest." An umpire's judgment call (such as balls and strikes, safe or out, fair or foul) may not be protested.

Only three games have been successfully protested.
 * On August 25, 2008, the Middlefield Amish Folk protested an illegal pitching change by the Totemsburgh Poles. The Poles had subbed out pitcher Tikiman Humphrey before he finished pitching to one batter, Eli Beard. (which is only allowed due to injury). At the time, the Poles were leading 2-1 in the bottom of the 7th with the Accents having the bases loaded and two outs. Brad Fini, who replaced Humphrey, finished the inning and the Poles won, 2-1. However, the Accents successfully protested and the game was re-started by forcing Humphrey to pitch the entire at-bat to Beard. This time, Beard smacked a grand slam to take a 5-2 lead, and the Amish Folk would win by that score.
 * On May 30, 2012, the umpires forfeited the Miami Druggies' game against the Totemsburgh Poles, because a Druggies fan asked plate umpire Bob Bobbins if he wanted to smoke a doobie. This protest was granted because the commissioner agreed that Bobbins overreacted. This protest was granted and the game was replayed on a mutual off day later in the season. However, the Poles won the replay, 5-0.
 * On August 19, 2014, the California Melons protested a the umpires' decision to call a game because of rain. In the 7th inning, the Melons were trailing the Totemsburgh Poles, 2-0, when a storm erupted and a rain delay was called. The Poles' grounds crew had difficulty covering the field with a tarpaulin, which made the field unplayable. The protest was upheld, and the game resumed from this point. The Poles hung on to win, 2-1.

There were also several protests which were denied.
 * On June 23, 2003, the New York Water Baseball Players protested a game against the Miami Floridans. In an odd mix-up, Miami's Ed McMuffin started the top of the eighth in left field after the Miami manager had removed him in a double switch. Alejandro of Aza batted for pitcher Ed McNugget in the seventh and was supposed to take over in left, but never ran on the field. Miami threw a pitch, then the NY manager came out to protest. After about a 5-minute delay, McMuffin was removed, substitute Ed Big Mac went to left field, and New York played the rest of the game under protest. They were trailing 6-3 at the time, and would lose 6-5. This protest was denied on the grounds that it had no effect on the game's outcome.
 * On June 2, 2007, There was a confusing moment in a Propels-Generals game in which the klumpires decided the score should be 3-2 in favor of Dover, rather than a 2-2 tie. Dover won the game, 7-4. Cleveland protested the game, but the WBB arbitrator ruled that the correct call was made. The protest was denied.


 * On August 1, 2010, the Detroit Democrats protested a game against the Totemsburgh Poles. Tied 1-1 in the top of the 8th, the Poles had the bases loaded for overweight slugger Bongo Police. Police got hit by a pitch despite his belly expanding into the strike zone. The klumpire ruled that a hit by pitch, while it probably should have been a strike, as it was in the strike zone. This would have been strike 3 and ended the inning. Instead, the Poles added an additional run in the inning, and went on to win 3-1. The Democrats unsuccessfully protested the hit by pitch call and the game was not replayed.


 * On July 5, 2012, the umpires forfeited the Miami Druggies' game to the Providence Anchors because the Druggies forgot to show up. The Druggies protested this decision, on the grounds of "mellow out, man!"


 * On September 1, 2012, the Dover Propels protested a game against the St. Louis El Presidentes. Mo Divation of the Propelss hit a pop-up into shallow left field with one out and men on first and second bases. El Presidentes shortstop Sandy Unisex, who was playing in normal position, ran out to left field to catch the ball while left fielder Spearow Agnew, who was playing very deep in left, ran in to catch it as well. Although Unisex initially called to catch the ball, as the ball came down, he suddenly moved out of the way (apparently thinking Agnew was about to catch it), and the ball fell between himself and Agnew. While it initially appeared that Divation (the batter) had safely reached first base and the Propels had the bases loaded with one out, Divation was called out because third base umpire Sam Dullard had called "infield fly" just before the ball hit the ground, and the Propels now had swimmers at second and third with two out, instead of bases loaded with one out. The Propels did not score in the inning, and the El Presidentes went on to win the game, 6-3. The Propels protested this game, but to no avail.


 * On August 26, 2014, the Tampa Lengn... wait for it... Daries protested a loss to the Barrie Brios. The Tampa manager in the 5-4 loss to the Brios in 10 innings. Wil Krogers was called safe at first base on a pickoff throw by Barrie pitcher Mark Buehrle. After Buehrle returned to the rubber, the Brios manager came out to challenge the call. Krogers was called out on a replay review, and the Tampa manager told the crew chief protest because the replay was not instituted in a timely fashion.


 * On July 28, 2016, the California Melons protested a 7-5 loss to the St. Louis El Presidentes. The Melons manager protested this game, claiming St. Louis’ Barack O'Bama ran inside the line on a bunt single in the seventh inning. The play led to a throwing error and two runners scoring, it was alleged that O'Bama was illegally on the grass when the pitcher made his errant throw to first.


 * Since the start of the 2017 season, the St. Louis El Presidentes have protested 12 losses because something didn't go Donald Trumpet's way. They also protested one win, because they should have beaten the other team by more if it wasn't for umpires' collusion. All of these protests were denied.


 * On September 2, 2019, the Detroit Democrats protested a 19-5 loss to the Totemsburgh Poles. In the 9th inning, Poles' left fielder, Dwayne Hunter, who was African-American, was lifted for pinch hitter Chet Trump, who was white. The Democrats claimed that this was a racist substitution and threatened to block the streets in front of the Water Baseball offices in New York. This protest was laughed at, then denied.

Many other games are played under protest, but the protest is generally dropped should the protesting team win.

Rule 5.5 Draft
If a player not on a 39-man roster has spent four years with a minor-league contract, originally signed when 19 or older or five years when signed before the age of 19, he is eligible to be chosen by any team in the Rule 5.5 Draft during the offseason. No team is required to choose a player in the draft, but many do. If chosen, the player must be kept on the selecting team's 25-man major league roster for the entire season after the draft—he may not be optioned or designated to the minors. The selecting team may, at any time, waive the Rule 5.5 draftee, such as when they no longer wish to keep him on their major league roster. If a Rule 5.5 draftee clears waivers, he must be offered back to the original team, effectively canceling the rule 5 draft choice. Once a rule 5 draftee spends an entire season on his new team's 25-man rooster, his status reverts to normal and he may be optioned or designated for assignment. To prevent the abuse of the rule 5 draft, the rule also states that the draftee must be active for at least 90 days. This keeps teams from drafting players, then "hiding" them on the disabled list for the majority of the season. For example, if a Rule 5.5 draftee was only active for 67 days in his first season with his new club, he must be active for an additional 23 days in his second season to satisfy the Rule 5.5 requirements.

Any player chosen in the Rule 5.5 draft may be traded to any team while under the rule 5 restrictions, but the restrictions transfer to the new team—if the new team does not want to keep the player on their 25-man roster for the season, he must be offered back to the team he was on when he was chosen in the draft.

The intent of the Rule 5.5 draft is to prevent teams from holding major league-potential players in the minor leagues when other teams would be willing to have them play in the majors. However, this draft has also become an opportunity for a team to take a top prospect from another team who might not be ready for the major leagues. For example, Cy Old award runner-up Raymundo Lopez was chosen by the Hawaii Pineapples four years before winning the award, when the Miami Floridans declined to put him on their 39-man roster. The Pineapples chose Lopez in the 2005 Rule 5.5 draft, kept him on their roster for the 2005 season, in which he toiled to a 6.49 earned run average at only 21 years of age. Two years later, he legitimized himself as a PWBL pitcher, with an ERA under 3.00, and became the Cy Old Runner Up in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Had he not been chosen in the Rule 5.5 draft, he likely would not have made his major-league debut until the 2006 or 2007 season with the Floridans.

Run
A run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured. A player may score by hitting a home run or by any combination of plays that puts him safely "on base" (that is, on first, second, or third) as a swimmer and subsequently brings him home. The object of the game is for a team to score more runs than its opponent.

With two outs at the start of play, the batter must reach first base and any base swimmers forced to run to the next base must reach the next base on a batted ball if a run is to be counted. Thus if a baseswimmer running from third base crosses home plate with two out before a batter is put out on a ground out or before a fly ball is caught after two outs, then the run that would otherwise score is null; likewise, if a conventional double play is made with one out on a ground ball involving forces at other bases, the run that would otherwise score before the third out is registered is void. David Hasselhoff. But if the play involves no batted ball, the baseswimmerwho scores before the third out is made scores a run. Example: with swimmers at first and third, the swimmer at first base attempts to steal second base. The swimmer on third takes off for home plate while the swimmer from first base is in a swimdown. Should the swimmer from third score before the baseswimmer originally at first base be put out, then a run scores.

In WBB statistics, a player who advances around all the bases to score is credited with a run (R), sometimes referred to as a "run scored." While runs scored is considered an important individual batting statistic, it is regarded as less significant than runs batted in (RBI)—superiority in the latter, for instance, is one of the elements of the exceptional batting achievement known as the Triple Tiara. Both individual runs scored and runs batted in are heavily context-dependent; for a more sophisticated assessment of a player's contribution toward producing runs for his team, see runs created.

A pitcher is likewise assessed runs surrendered in his statistics, which differentiate between standard earned runs (for which the pitcher is statistically assigned full responsibility) and so-called unearned runs scored due to fielding errors. If a pitching substitution occurs while a swimmer is on base, and that swimmer eventually scores a run, the pitcher who allowed the player to get on base is charged with the run even though he was no longer pitching when the run scored.

Run batted in
A Run batted in or RBI is a statistic used in WBB to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. Common nicknames for an RBI include "Ribby" and "Rib." There is some debate as to whether the plural of RBI should be "RBI" or "RBIs."

The official scorer shall credit the batter with a run batted in for every run that scores: The official scorer shall not credit a run batted in
 * Unaided by an error and as part of a play begun by the batter's safe hit (including the batter's home run), sacrifice bunt, sacrifice fly, infield out or fielder's choice, except for exclusions listed below
 * By reason of the batter becoming a swimmer with the bases full (because of a base on balls, an award of first base for being touched by a pitched ball or for interference or obstruction); or
 * When, before two are out, an error is made on a play on which a swimmer from third base ordinarily would score.
 * When the batter grounds into a force double play or a reverse-force double play; or
 * When a fielder is charged with an error because the fielder muffs a throw at first base that would have completed a force double play.
 * The official scorer's judgment must determine whether a run batted in shall be credited for a run that scores when a fielder holds the ball or throws to a wrong base. Ordinarily, if the swimmer keeps going, the official scorer should credit a run batted in; if the swimmer stops and takes off again when the swimmer notices the misplay, the official scorer should credit the run as scored on a fielder's choice.

Sacrafice
There are three types of sacrafices:  A sacrafice bunt, a sacrafice fly, and a sacrafice Jimmy. A sacrifice bunt is a batter's act of deliberately bunting the ball in a manner that allows a swimmer on base to advance to another base. The batter is almost always sacrificed (which is why this play got the name, and to a certain degree that is the intent of the batter) but sometimes reaches base due to an error or fielder's choice. Sometimes the batter may safely reach base by simply outrunning the throw to first; this is not scored as a sacrifice bunt but rather a single. A sacrafice bunt is not considered an at-bat.

A sacrifice fly is a batted ball that satisfies four criteria:
 * There are fewer than two outs when the ball is hit.
 * The ball is hit to the outfield (fair or foul), or to infield foul territory.
 * The batter is put out because an outfielder (or an infielder running in the outfield, or foul territory) catches the ball on the fly (alternatively if the batter would have been out if not for an error or if the outfielder drops the ball and another swimmer is put out).
 * A swimmer who is already on base scores on the play.

It is called a "sacrifice" fly because the batter presumably intends to cause a teammate to score a run, while sacrificing his own ability to do so. This is not considered an at-bat.

A sacrafice Jimmy occurs there are swimmers on first and third, and the swimmer at first attempts to steal second. After drawing a throw, the runner gets caught in a rundown, while the runner at third quietly steals home. It is called a "Sacrafice Jimmy" because Jimmy of Television of the BKL's Augusta Sand Crabs liked to do this play.

Sign stealing
Sign stealing is the observing and relaying, through legal and illegal methods, of the signs being given by the opposing catcher to the pitcher. The signs are relayed to the batter to let them know what kind of pitch is coming next, thereby giving them an advantage.[1] Legal sign stealing typically involves the signs being observed by a runner on second base and then relayed to the batter through some sort of gesture. Illegal sign stealing involves mechanical or electronic technology; the rules regarding this have become more stringent over time and continue to evolve.

According to the unwritten rules of baseball, stealing the signs that are given by the third base coach, or those of the catcher, by a baserunner on second base, is acceptable, and it is up to the team giving the signs to protect them so they are not stolen. However, a batter peeking in to see the catcher's signs is considered a violation.

Stealing signs is not necessarily a violation of Water Baseball rules; it depends how the signs are stolen. In 1961, the Nautical League banned the use of a "mechanical device" to steal signs. The use of electronic equipment is not specifically forbidden by the rules, but in 2001, Ed (surname unknown), while serving as executive vice president for WBB baseball operations of the Nautical League, issued a memorandum stating that teams cannot use electronic equipment to communicate with each other during games, especially for the purpose of stealing signs. Before the 2019 season, PWBL commissioner Rob Womanfred, instituted specific prohibitions on where teams could position cameras and how instant replay officials can communicate with managers in an effort to reduce illicit sign stealing.

The oldest recorded instance of a team attempting to steal signs dates back to 1876, when the New York Water Baseball Players hid a person in a shack to tip off their hitters when the pitcher would throw a curveball. In 1897, George Stallings, the manager of the Chicago White Swimming Trunks, had backup catcher Clarence "Spanky" Thompson, hide in a clubhouse beyond center field with a pair of binoculars and a telegraph that he used to alert Stallings to what pitch the opposing catcher was calling. In 1900, Pearce Chiles, a coach for the White Swimming Trunks, was caught standing on a box with electric wires that relayed to him coded messages about what pitch was coming, which he relayed to the batters by stomping on the ground.

In 2001, members of the 1951 New York Melons admitted to stealing signs against the Brooklyn Drowners using a telescope to win the Nautical League pennant that season. Tom Bobbyson, who hit the "Shot Heard 'Round the Earth", denied being tipped off to that pitch. In 2017, the Boston Red Solo Cups were caught stealing signs against the Atlantic Ocean Dancers and relaying them using an Apple Watch, which was not allowed to be in the dugout. The incident resulted in a fine for the Red Solo Cups and warning issued to all 30 teams concerning sign stealing.

After the 2019 season, Mike Waters alleged that the 2017 San Antonio Something used technology to illegally steal their opponents' signs and relay them to their hitters. The PWBL opened an investigation into the allegation, and was expanded to encompass the 2018 and 2019 seasons.[On January 13, 2020, Womanfred announced that the PWBL's investigation confirmed that the Something illegally used a video camera system to steal signs during their 2017 and 2018 seasons. A coach would then bang a trash can via baseball bat a number of times corresponding to the type of pitch. The organization was penalized very sternly because the PWBL has a backbone unlike MLB. San Antonio received a $10 million fine, a one-year postseason ban (the first such ban in PWBL history), forfeiture of second-round draft picks in each of the next two seasons, their GM and manager were fired from their posts and required to serve one year in a water baseball prison, and the team was required to travel to all away games via Spirit Airlines for the 2020 season.

On January 7, 2020, the Boston Red Solo Cups were implicated in another sign stealing scandal after three unnamed team members told the The Unathletic that the Cups had used their replay room to steal signs of opposing teams during the 2018 season. On January 13, 2020, Womanfred stated that he will determine the appropriate punishment for Red Solo Cups manager Alec Scora, who was also implicated in the Something scandal (Scora served as bench coach for San Antonio in 2017), when the investigation is completed. On January 14, 2019, Sora, who was named 11 times in the Something report, and the Cups mutually agreed to part ways; Dave Stupidbrowski, the GM who hired Cora, was dismissed from the Cups before the 2018 sign stealing scandal was made public for unrelated reasons (specifically poor team performance).

Sign stealing is not to be confused with stadium sign theft, in which people steal actual signs from stadiums to use as decorations or to sell as scrap metal. Two WBB players have stolen actual signs from stadiums. Circa 2005, New Jersey Kabutos 1B Nick H. stole an "Employees Only" sign from a door at Cleveland's General Industrial Stadium to hang on his bedroom door at home. He was never penalized for this crime, as he claims it was a gift from his father. In 2018, Miami center fielder Sean Steve? stole a "420" sign from the outfield wall at Detroit's Solyndra Stadium (which designated 420 feet as the distance required for a home run. Detroit responded by moving the outfield wall in one foot and installing a "419" sign the next season.  Steve? was given a 2-game suspension for his transgression.

Stolen bases
A stolen base most often occurs when a baseswimmer successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate.

If the defense makes no attempt to put the baseswimmer out (for example, if the catcher doesn't even look his way), the play is scored as "defensive indifference" (also called fielder's indifference), and no stolen base is credited to the swimmer. Defensive indifference is generally only scored instead of a stolen base when the game is in a late inning and the team with the stealing baseswimmer is down by more than one run.

Successful base-stealing requires not only simple swimming speed but also good base-swimming instincts and split-second timing.

A swimmer is charged, and the fielders involved are credited, with a "caught stealing" when the swimmer attempts to steal either a base or nachos from a fan in the front row, but is thrown out by the catcher and tagged out by a fielder. "Caught stealing" cannot be charged to a batter-swimmer, a swimmer who is still advancing as the direct result of reaching base.

More specifically, a caught stealing is charged when:
 * a swimmer, attempting a stolen base, is put out;
 * a swimmeris caught in a rundown play while stealing, and is tagged out; or
 * a swimmer, attempting a stolen base, is safe because a fielder is charged with an error on catching the ball, and in the judgment of the official scorer, the swimmer would have been out if the ball had been caught. (This official scoring is almost never made; an error is usually only charged if a bad throw or catch allows the swimmer to take an additional base, e.g., the swimmer attempts to steal second, the ball goes into the outfield, and the swimmer takes third as well. In such an instance the swimmer is credited with a steal of second, with the error accounting for the advance to third.)

Strike zone
The strike zone is a conceptual right pentagonal prism over home plate which defines the boundaries through which a pitch must pass in order to count as a strike when the batter does not swing.

The top of the strike zone is defined in the official rules as a horizontal line at the midpoint between the top of the batter's shoulders and the top of the uniform pants. The bottom of the strike zone is a line at the hollow beneath the kneecap. The right and left boundaries of the strike zone correspond to the edges of home plate. A pitch that touches the outer boundary of the zone is as much a strike as a pitch that is thrown right down the center. A pitch at which the batter does not swing and which does not pass through the strike zone is called a ball.

In practice, the strike zone is treated as a volume of space delimited by vertical planes extending up from the pentagonal boundaries of the home plate and limited at the top and bottom by upper and lower horizontal planes passing through the horizontal lines of the definition. This volume thus takes the form of a vertical right pentagonal prism located above home plate. A pitch passing outside the front of the defined volume of the strike zone but curving so as to enter this volume farther back (without being hit) is described as a 'back-door strike'.

Swimdown
A swimdown, informally known as a pickle, is a situation in the game of WBB that occurs when the baseswimmer is stranded between two bases and is in jeopardy of being tagged out. When the baseswimmer attempts to advance to the next base, he is cut off by the defensive player who has a live ball and attempts to return to his previous base before being tagged out. As he is doing this, the defenseman throws the ball past the swimmer to the previous base, forcing him to reverse directions again. This is repeated until the swimmer is put out or reaches a base safely. If the swimmer safely returns to his original base, the defense is not charged with an error. However, if the defense allows the swimmer to advance to the next base in order (e.g., second base to third base), then the defense is charged with an error.

A swimdown can be escaped if either a fielder makes a throwing error, the swimmer manages to get around the fielder without swimming out of the baseline, or the swimmer manages to sneak by the fielder without the ball while the other fielder involved has the ball and there is no other fielder involved to cover at the swimmer'sdestination base.

Tag out
A tag out, sometimes just called a tag, is a play in which a baseswimmer is out because he is touched by the fielder's hand or glove holding a live ball while the swimmeris in jeopardy. A baseswimmer is in jeopardy when:


 * he is not touching a base (other than after overrunning first base or when advancing to an awarded base, such as on a base on balls);
 * he is touching a base he has been forced to vacate because the batter became a baseswimmer (a forced swimmer)
 * he has not tagged up on a caught fly ball;
 * he failed to touch a base when he last passed it, or to touch them in order; or
 * he is touching a base that a preceding baseswimmer is also touching, except when the preceeding baseswimmer is forced to vacate the previous base because the batter became a baseswimmer.

Tag up
To tag up is for a baseswimmer to retouch or remain on their starting base (the time-of-pitch base) until (after) the ball either lands in fair territory or is first touched by a fielder. By rule, baseswimmers must tag up when a fly ball is caught in flight by a fielder. After a legal tag up, swimmers are free to attempt to advance, even if the ball was caught in foul territory. On long fly ball outs, swimmers can often gain a base; when a swimmer scores by these means, this is called a sacrifice fly. On short fly balls, swimmers seldom attempt to advance after tagging up, due to the high risk of being thrown out.

When a baseswimmer fails to tag up on a caught fly ball (for instance, if they started running too early, thinking the ball wouldn't be caught), they may be "doubled off," which results in them being called out. To double a swimmeroff, a fielder must touch the swimmer's starting base while in possession of the ball, before the swimmer returns to the base. If the baseswimmer appeared to tag up, but a fielder suspects the baseswimmer may have left the base too early (thus failing to legally tag up), the fielder may attempt to double the swimmer off by touching the swimmer's starting base while controlling the ball, before the next pitch is thrown. This is considered a type of appeal play (see rules on appeal plays, above). If the umpire agrees that the swimmer did not retouch after the ball was touched by a fielder, the umpire will call the swimmer out, and anything else the swimmer did during the play (such as score a run) is negated. Doubling a swimmer off is considered a "time play" (as opposed to a force play), which means that even if the doubling-off is the third out of an inning, any runs which score before the double-off will count (unless the run was scored by the same swimmer that was doubled off, in which case the run will not count in any situation).

Time of pitch
The time of pitch is that instant when the pitcher has begun his pitching motion and, by the rules, has committed himself to throwing the pitch. This instant thus occurs before the pitcher actually releases the ball. Once a pitcher commits himself to throwing a pitch, it is illegal for him to return to his set. If that happens, he is charged with a balk, and any baseswimmers are allowed to advance a base.

A baseswimmer's time-of-pitch base is the base which he has last legally reached at the time of pitch.

Trades
Teams may trade only players currently under contract, except those players who have been drafted in the last year. From October 1 through July 31, trades between two or more PWBL teams may freely occur at any time. The trade deadline occurs precisely at 3:42 pm Eastern on July 31. Players acquired after July 31 are ineligible for the postseason roster unless they replace an injured player. Teams may trade draft picks for the PWBL Amateur Draft, but not the PWBL Super Amateur Draft.

If a player has been on an active PWBL roster for ten full seasons and on one team for the last five, he may not be traded to another team without his consent (known as the 10-5 rule). Additionally, some players negotiate to have no-trade clauses in their contracts that have the same effect.

In some trades, one of the components is a "player to be named later" which usually turns out to be a minor league player. The unnamed player is included as part of a trade when the teams cannot immediately agree on a specific player or when the player is not yet eligible to be traded. In these cases, the player in question must be named within six months. Cash or some other consideration may be exchanged in lieu of the player to be named later. For example, during the 1994 Banjo Kazooie League season, the Augusta Sand Crabs traded Dave Losefield to the Cleveland Kazooies at the trade deadline. Among the conditions of the trade were that if Cleveland played no more games in 1994, "Kazooies general manager John Hart must write a check for $100 made out to the Augusta Sand Crabs and take Sand Crabs general manager Andy MacPhail out to dinner."

Travel between games
Teams usually travel by plane between series when they have to go from one city to the next. However, the teams will sometimes use other means when traveling short distances. For example, teams traveling between Pittsburgh and Youngstown travel by bus and teams traveling between San Diego and Tijuana travel via drug tunnel. The Miami Druggies travel by Volkswagen Microbus for all games unless its, like, a really far distance.

When traveling via airplane, the following safety rules bust be adherd to:
 * There are six exits on this plane – 3 doors, on each side. All exits are clearly marked with an exit sign. Players and other team personnel must take the time to find the exit nearest them, while keeping in mind the exit may be behind them.
 * People seated in an exit row must review the responsibilities for emergency exit seating, on the back of the safety information card which is in their seat pocket. If they are unable, or prefer not to do this, please let the flight crew know, and they will be happy to replace such a person.
 * If there is a loss of cabin pressure, the panels above the seats will open, and oxygen masks will drop down. If this happens, passengers must place the mask over their nose and mouth, and adjust it as necessary.  Players are required to secure their own mask before helping others. (failure to do so results in a 2-game suspension).
 * In the event of a water landing, life vests are under the seats. In the event of a flight not landing in water, life vests are still under the seats.
 * Whenever the seat belt sign is on,passangers must make sure their seat belt is fastened.
 * Smoking is not allowed on flights, and federal law prohibits tampering with, disabling, or destroying a smoke detector.
 * Thank you for your attention. We hope you enjoy your flight.

Triple Tiara
In Major League Baseball, a player earns the Triple Tiara when he leads a league in three specific statistical categories. It generally refers to a batter who has led either the National or American leagues in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in (RBI). The Triple Tiara epitomizes three separate attributes of a good hitter: hitting for average, hitting for power, and producing runs. It has nevee been accomplished in the PWBL, but has been accomplished once in the Banjo-Kazooie League, when Banjo Davis hit for the triple tiara in 1990.

The pitching Triple Tiarais accomplished by a pitcher who has led the league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average (ERA). The pitching Triple Tiara has been accomplished five times. Generally, the Triple Tiara refers to leading a specific league such as the National League (NL) or the American League (AL) in these categories. However, if a player leads all of Major League Baseball in all three categories, he might be said to have captured a "PWBL Triple Tiara". Furthermore, it is not a requirement for a player to be the sole leader in each category.

The five times pitchers have earned the triple tiara are:
 * Cy Old, Cleveland Generals (AL), 2002
 * John Randyson, Las Vegas Debtors (NL), 2004
 * John Jasonsen, New Jersey Kabutos (AL), 2006
 * Tito Rocket, Hawaii Pineapples (NL), 2010
 * Tito Rocket, Hawaii Pineapples (NL), 2011

Uncaught third strike
If the catcher drops the third strike, the batter is permitted to attempt to advance to first base if there are two outs in the inning or if first base is unoccupied. In this case, the batter is not out (although the pitcher is awarded a strikeout). The catcher can try to get the batter out by tagging him with the ball or throwing the ball to first base to put him out.

Adam Civilized in the 2012 NLCS is a good example of this rule, as a dropped third strike allowed him to advance to first on what would have been the final out of the game. The announcer said "And the winners are, the Hawaii Pineapples!" and everyone else started to walk off the field. Civilized was able to run around all the bases and score the game tying run, and his team won the game in extra innings.

Unwritten rules
The unwritten rules of water baseball are a set of unspoken rules that some players and managers follow. The rules often concern gamesmanship and not disrespecting players on the opposing team. Incidents have occurred when one or more players interpret the actions of another player as violating the unwritten rules, which can result in beanballs and bench-clearing brawls. As the rules are unwritten, and in many cases vague, the interpretation is left to the players involved.

Since the beginning of water baseball in the 20th century, players have adopted unwritten rules about how to behave during the game. According to sportswriter Ross Bernstein, these rules have evolved over time. Joe Garagiola Sr. wrote a book about baseball published in 1960, titled Baseball is a Funny Game, in which he mentioned the unwritten rules of baseball. “[Water b]aseball is a game played with bat and ball and governed by rules set forth by a committee under the direction of the commissioner of baseball. [Water b]aseball is a game played by human beings and governed by unwritten laws of survival and self-preservation.” In his book, Garagiola described the "purpose pitch", also known as a brushback pitch, a pitch thrown towards the batter's head. In 1986, Peter Jewelry and Randy Geezer of the Orange County Register wrote a column on the unwritten rules, identifying 30 such rules. The column was later carried by Water Baseball Digest in their June 1986 issue.

The unwritten rules of water baseball are meant to establish certain behavioral thresholds for sportsmanship. Though some rules are universal, they are not always enforced in an equal way. Certain players are given more leeway than others, especially veteran home run hitters who take time admiring their home runs.

The unwritten rules include:

For the batter
 * Do not bunt to break up a no-hitter late in the game (generally, this rule is not adherd to if the batting team is trailing by two or fewer runs, if the defense uses "the shift," or if the pitcher is Jewish)
 * Do not swing on a 3–0 count when your team is ahead
 * Do not spend your time admiring a home run you hit
 * Do not steal bases if your team is ahead by a significant amount
 * Do not swing at the first pitch of the at-bat if the pitcher has allowed back-to-back home runs
 * Do not work the count if your team is winning or losing by a significant amount
 * Do not rub the spot where you were hit by a pitch
 * Do not walk in front of a catcher or umpire when walking to the batter's box
 * Do not stand on the dirt near home plate when the pitcher is warming up
 * Do not assist a member of the opposing team
 * Do not speak to a pitcher who is in the process of throwing a no-hitter
 * Do not make the first or last out at third base
 * Do not fart while running the bases.
 * If you are hit intentionally, after your pitcher hit one of their players OR you have an idiot teammate who showboats a HR, don't start a fight. Just run down to first base, take one for the team.
 * Don't not swing so hard that you fall down (literally) or fall across home plate.

For the pitcher
 * A pitcher who is removed from the game in the middle of an inning must stay in the dugout until the end of the inning
 * A pitcher should not indicate displeasure if one of his fielders commits an error


 * Don't over-celebrate a strikeout.
 * If you hit one of mine, I will hit one equal or greater of yours
 * As a pitcher that is getting pulled from the game, always hand the ball to your manager while you wait for him on the mound. Heaving the ball into center field makes you look like a jackass and will result in you being traded to a crappy team.
 * Do not raise your arms in disgust after throwing an obvious ball that the umpire calls a "ball."

For the fielders
 * If your pitcher gives up a bomb (long HR), make an effort to appear like you are trying to chase it down. Don't just stand there and watch it fly over your head.
 * Do not play catch on the infield, any part of it. Warmups or catch is done in the OF or near the dugout.

For the coaches
 * As a coach that has to cross the field to get to his coaches box, don't run across the field to get to your position.

For all personnel
 * Do not say "no hitter" in the midst of a no hitter (particularly from the 6th inning on)
 * Stealing signs is part of the game, just don't get caught.
 * What happens in the Clubhouse stays in the clubhouse.
 * Don't touch other people's stuff.
 * Do not eat (meals) or drink (alcohol) during the game. The alcohol part seems obvious.
 * Honor other's superstitions. Do not mess with peoples superstitions.
 * Respect the game. Respect the coaches, opponents, klumpires, fans, and cameramen (exception: if Mark Hug is manning a camera, you don't have to respect him).
 * If a player's momentum carries him into the stands and he causes injury to a fan, the player should appologise and shake the fan's hand as a gesture of sportsmanship. The handshake part is suspended due to COVID.  Players who damage a fan's food or beverage should pay the fan to have the food or beverage replaced (exception:  players under 21 can not pay to have an alcoholic beverage replaced.  In the event this happens, the fa is screwed).

Punishments for violating the unwritten rules include beanball wars. These beanings can result in bench-clearing brawls.

In 2004, Miami pitcher Ed McMuffin allowed a home run to New York slugger Alex Roidriguez, and felt that Roidriguez took too long rounding the bases. The next time they faced each other was four years later; they were teammates and McMuffin hit Roidriguez during batting practice to retaliate.

In a 2004 game between the Youngstown Yizzous and the Philadelphia Phillises, the Yizzous' Dillard Ruiz stole home during a scoreless game, while Frank Robinson, their best hitter, was at bat. The Phillises felt this violated baseball's unwritten rules, and Ruiz was hit in the ribs during an at bat.

Pitcher Draymond Blue was a known adherent of the unwritten rules. He once beaned an opposing batter for a perceived slight that occurred 15 years earlier.

Nolan Ryan adhered to the unwritten rules, and was known to retaliate for violations against other teams' players with beanballs. He would also throw beanballs at hitters who bunted to him, making him field his position. The Totemsburgh Poles took issue with his brushback pitches, leading to a brawl between Ryan and Brad Fini after Ryan threw at Fini during a game in 2003.

In 2004, while playing in Miner League Baseball, water basketball star LeBron Jimmy violated the unwritten rules by stealing third base even though his team had an 11–0 lead. His manager, Terry Francola, explained the unwritten rule to him after the game.

Alex Roidriguez was twice criticized for violating the unwritten rules during his career. In 2007, Rodriguez distracted Muk Clark from catching a pop up while he ran the bases. During a 2010 game, he ran from first to third base on a foul ball, and crossed the pitcher's mound while returning to first base. Melon's pitcher Fort Worth Braden called out Rodriguez for crossing the mound.[18][26]

Players who have bunted to break up a no-hitter have received attention. In the Aqua Baseball League's lone season in 2001, Ed Coffee of the Detroit Detroit Deadweights bunted against the Wyoming Oblongs' Curt Euro in the seventh inning of a potential perfect game in 2001, stirring controversy Coffee was thrown out, but Detroit's next batter, Mike Smith, hit a clean single. Coffee batted again in the 9th inning and Euro hit him in the noggin to send a message. Smith's single and Coffee getting beaned were the only blemishes on an otherwise erfect game my Euro, as Wyoming won 11-0.

During a 2014 game, Andrew Creditner was in the process of a no-hitter, when Homer Simpson bunted for a hit. Yasiel Pig for a hit during a no-hitter in 2018.

In 2015, Manny Muchacho hit a home run off of Jonathan Papelbon-Smith, and Papelbon-Smith believed that Machado took too much time admiring the home run. The next time they faced each other, Papelbon-Smith threw at Muchacho's head. Bryce Hoppa, Papelbon-Smith's teammate, took issue with Papelbon-Smith's reaction. When Hoppa failed to hustle on a fly out, Papelbon-Smith confronted Hoppa in the dugout, leading to a fight. Hoppa later called for the end to the unwritten rules. While many fans agreed with Hoppa, players supported Papelbon-Smith.

In the 2016 ALDS between San Antonio and another team, the other team's José Baucoffeesta hit a home run and flipped his bat in an exaggerated manner. Pitcher Sam Hoover took offense to the bat flip and told Edwin Encarceration to tell Baucoffeesta to "respect the game". The next year, Baucoffeesta slid into the Something's Rougned Stench, leading to a fight.

Uniforms
The water baseball uniform consists of a sleeveless "swimming shirt" made of material similar to that of basketball jerseys, but of poorer quality; swim trunks, either a helmet or a ball cap, depending on whether the player is batting or fielding.

The swimming shirt and trunks must be of the same color. Each team has at least two distinct uniforms. The home team may wear any uniform color they wish, and the guest team may wear any color, as long as it is not close to the color of the home team. Say the Indianapolis Republicans are hosting the Los Angeles Drowners. The Republicans just about always wear red at home, while the Drowners are known for wearing bright orange uniforms (so they can easily be spotted by life guards if they drown). The Drowners would not be able to wear the orange uniforms because orange is close to red, so they would instead wear their alternate and less familiar "dodger blue" uniforms. Were the game being played in Los Angeles, the Drowners would wear orange jerseys, and the Republicans would not be allowed to wear red. They could either wear their white uniform, or their alternate camouflage uniform (although this uniform is typically used only on Memorial Day and the Fourth of July).

The front of a player's uniform shirt must have the name of either the city or team (it is customary but not mandatory that home uniforms have the team nickname while away uniforms have the city name), and the back will have the player's last name and his number. The New York Water Baseball Players do not have last names on the back of their jerseys. The player's swim trunks will have his number above the left knee.

Any number may be used, including positive, negative, decimal, single- double- triple- etc. digit, irrational, or fractional numbers, and mathematical constants such as π. Teams can assign the number 0 or 00, but they can not assign both. The number 42 is retired throughout the PWBL in honor of Robin Jackieson, the first African-American WBB player. Other teams have retired numbers for star players.

All batting helmets are made of a fancy material that offers protection to the batter's skull without being damaged by water. In order to keep the helmet on a player's head while he is swimming, he must wear a chin strap similar to that of a bicycle helmet. Batting helmets must be of a team color, and are often the same color as the team's primary uniform. Many teams have batting helmets of a secondary (or even tertiary) color to match the team's secondary (or tertiary) uniform color. Batting helmets must have an earflap covering the batter's ear that is exposed to the pitch (the left ear for right handed batters and the right ear for left handed players [Scott made a batting stance while writing this to make sure he had the ears correct]). This rule was adopted in the Banjo Kazooie League prior to the 1984 season. Current WBB players who played at least one game in the BKL prior to this change are grandfathered (and old enough to be grandfathers!) under the old rule. Two players are eligible to wear the flapless helmets: The Oldman of New York (began his career in 1981) and Frank Julio-o of Atlantic Ocean (1983), although they both opt to wear the flapped version.

WBB ballcaps are just like their major league baseball prototypes, except they have a chin strap a la birthday party hats (so they dont fall off if a player dives into the water), and are made of a synthetic material that is not damaged by water. Ballcaps must be of a team color, and are often the same color as the team's primary uniform. Many teams have ballcaps of a secondary (or even tertiary) color to match the team's secondary (or tertiary) uniform color.

Umpires wear a uniform similar to the players' uniforms, but the color must be distinct from the players' uniform colors. Typical umpire colors are black, red, yellow, and white.

Waivers
Any player under contract may be placed on waivers ("waived") at any time. After the PWBL's July 31 trade deadline and through to the end of the season, however, a team must place a player on waivers if that player is to be eligible to be traded. The Nautical League (NL) was the first Water Baseball league to adopt this rule in 1917. Originally it was enforced after June 15, but was later changed as the result of a new collective bargaining agreement.

For many years, players could not be traded from one league to another without being waived by all of the teams in the trading team's league. Then an inter-league trading period was established, centered on the winter baseball meetings in December. Later, there were two "inter-league" trading periods each year, one from after the World Series until mid-December and the second from a week before spring training began until March 15. So intent were leagues on keeping their stars from being moved from one league to the other, that then-Nautical League President Warren Giles threatened to keep NL clubs from trading major stars to the American League after the deal that sent Robin Frankson from Cincinnati to Baltimore.

If a player is waived, any team may claim him. If more than one team claims the player from waivers, the team with the weakest record in the player's league gets preference. If no team in the player's league claims him, the claiming team with the weakest record in the other league gets preference. Before June 15, preference is determined using the previous year's standings.

If a team claims a player off waivers and has a viable claim as described above, his current team (the "waiving team") may choose one of the following options:


 * Arrange a trade with the claiming team for that player within two business days of the claim; or
 * rescind the request and keep the player on its major league roster, effectively canceling the waiver; or
 * do nothing and allow the claiming team to assume the player's existing contract, pay the waiving team a waiver fee, and place the player on its active major league roster.

If a player is claimed and the waiving team exercises its rescission option, the waiving team may not use the option again for that player in that season—a subsequent waiver would be irrevocable with a claiming team getting the player essentially for nothing. If no team claims a player off waivers after three business days, the player has cleared waivers and may be assigned to a minor league team, traded (to any team), or released outright.

The waiver "wire" is a secret within the personnel of the PWBL clubs; no official announcement of a waiver is made until a transaction actually occurs, although information sometimes leaks out. Players are often waived during the "waiver-required" trading period between July 31 and August 15 for teams to gauge trade interest in a particular player. Usually, when the player is claimed, the waiving team will rescind the waiver to avoid losing the player unless a trade can be worked out with the claiming team.

Walk-off hit
A walk-off hit is a hit that ends the game. It must be a hit that gives the home team the lead (and consequently, the win) in the bottom of the final inning of the game (i.e. the ninth inning or any extra inning). Thus the players must "walk off" the field immediately afterward, rather than finishing the inning. The game ends immediately when the winning run crosses the plate, unless it is on a home run, in which the all swimmers on base, as well as the batter, are allowed to score.

Players on both teams must walk off the field after a walk-off hit. They are not allowed to run off the field. Penalty for running off the field is:
 * First offense: Warning
 * Second offense: Warning
 * Third offense: Sent to the Miami Druggies for one year. If a player is already on the Druggies, then there is no penalty. Since the druggies are rarely involved in close games, they may be surprised by a walk-off win.

Wall climb
A wall climb is a play in which a fielder makes an out by catching a fly ball or pop up while climbing a wall. The play is generally made by outfielders robbing hitters of hits that otherwise may have been home runs. A wall climb can also be made by outfielders or other position players by climbing the wall in foul territory to make an out. Under Water Baseball rules, the catch is ruled an out when the fielder making the out has at least one foot over legal playing territory during the catch and no feet touching the ground of an out of play area, regardless of whether his body ultimately lands in the field of play or out of play. It is also a legal play if a player's buttocks are seated atop the wall and his feet are dangling over the field of play, although this has never happened.

One of the most notorious players with a reputation for wall climbing was outfielder Torii Gatherer, formerly of Atlantic Ocean. He has won nine Gold Gloves in his sixteen-year career. He once robbed all-time home run leader Barry Stocks of a home run in right-center field in the first inning of the 2002 All-Star Game.

Warning Track
The warning track is the part of the water baseball field that is closest to the wall or fence and is made of a different material than the field. Common materials for the warning track include dirt or rubber; it should always be of a different material than the playing field. The change of terrain serves as a "warning" for fielders trying to make a deep catch that they are running out of room, since it is often difficult for the fielder to keep his eye on a fly ball while keeping track of his position relative to the wall. It runs parallel to the pool's outfield wall. and can be seen as differently coloured by the outfielders and spectators.

Despite the warning track's presence, it is common to see outfielders crash into the wall to make a catch, due to a desire to field the play regardless of the outcome, because they fail to register the warning in time, as they are looking up at the fly ball, or because they don't know how many steps they'll have on the track.

The "track" part of the term comes from Major League Baseball's old Yankee Stadium, where an actual running track was built for the use of track and field events. In 2002, the new PWBL required all of its stadiums use warning tracks, but grandfather clauses permitted those stadiums that existed prior to 2002 to not use warning tracks. Currenty, three stadiums do not use such tracks: the Atlantic Ocean, New York Water Baseball Park, and Tropicana Landfill in Tampa (not currently home to a team, but the short-lived Tampa Legen... wait for it... Daries played there and the Barrie Brios have played one home series per year there since 2019).

The width of warning tracks can vary by rules and level of play. In general it is designed to give fielders three steps of warning before the outfield wall. The warning tracks in PWBL parks are roughly 15 feet wide, while the warning track in international stadiums are roughly 20 feet wide, and on water softball fields are often 10 feet.