Little League Pitch Count Rules: Daily Limits and Rest Days by Age

Daily maximum pitches by league age

Source: Little League Baseball regular season pitching rules. Rules change; confirm against the current rulebook for your league or event before game day.

The maximum is per calendar day, not per game. A player who throws 40 pitches in the morning game of a doubleheader and is league age 11 has 45 left for the afternoon, and the total of 85 drives the rest requirement.

Required rest days

The rest table is the part coaches most often get wrong, because the thresholds are low. At ages 14 and under, a single 21-pitch outing already costs a full day of rest.

League age 14 and under

League age 15-16

These brackets match the Pitch Smart table from MLB and USA Baseball, which is where Little League's regulation came from. Rest days are full calendar days: a pitcher who needs two days of rest after Saturday is eligible again on Tuesday.

The rules around the edges

• Finishing the batter. If a pitcher reaches the daily maximum while facing a batter, he may keep pitching until the batter reaches base or is retired, the third out is made, or the manager removes him. Those extra pitches still count toward the day's total for rest purposes.
• The catcher rule. A player who has caught four or more innings in a day may not pitch that day. A pitcher who throws 21 or more pitches (31 or more at 15-16) may not move to catcher for the rest of that day. Plan your catcher and closer as different players.
• Warm-up pitches between innings and in the bullpen do not count.
• Pitch count recorder. Local leagues designate an official pitch count recorder; the official count is theirs, not the scorekeeper's app. Ask what the recorder has before you make a decision at the limit.
• Tournament play (District through the World Series) is governed by the separate tournament rules and can differ from what is shown here. This page covers the regular-season regulation.

Planning a Little League week

Most Little League schedules run two games a week, often Tuesday and Saturday. Here is how the table shapes a 12U (league age 11-12, 85 max) week:

• Your Tuesday starter throwing 66+ needs four days: Wednesday through Saturday. He is not available until Sunday. If you want him for Saturday, cap him at 50 (2 days rest, back Friday).
• A Tuesday reliever held to 20 pitches or fewer is available Wednesday and any day after.
• Whoever starts Saturday and goes 66+ will not pitch again until Thursday, which is fine for a Tuesday-Saturday schedule only if you have a second starter.

The practical rule of thumb: a team needs at least three players who can start, and the coach needs a written record of every outing. Memory is what produces the ineligible pitcher and the forfeit.

Little League pitch count FAQ