pitching rule

Question
Our league does not allow pitchers, once removed from the mound,to re-enter the game as a pitcher. Can you explain what the dangers, if any, of allowing them to re-enter later in the game. The age of the athletes is 11 to 13 yrs old. Thanks

Answer
hi pat
thanks for the question.

when a pitcher is in the game he is throwing 12-25+ pitches per inning on a regular basis. maybe he has a 5-10 minute break between innings. the pitcher is working just as hard mentally as physically.

when a kid is removed from the game, the body begins to cool down and the mental side begins relax.
to put a kid back in the game after the cool down is difficult. (even big league pitchers struggle with this during rain delays). it would also be tough for the kids to mentally get back into the pitching mode. if a kid is not in either one of these modes, the chance of injury does increase and chance of success goes down. while not an absolute, it is good practice to not put a kid back on the mound once he thinks he is done for the game.

hope this helps.
steve