PONY Baseball pitching rules

These are the PONY Baseball limits as I read them out of PONY Baseball Rule Book, Section 10 D (Pitching Rules) and the Pitch Smart chart printed there — 2026 edition, checked on 2026-09-09. I coach youth baseball and I bought the books, because every summary I could find online disagreed with at least one other summary. Where a figure comes from the rulebook itself, I say so. Where it does not, I say that too.

PONY Baseball — workload limits per day
Applies toLimitGame length
League Age 7–850 pitches a day6 innings
League Age 9–1075 pitches a day6 innings
League Age 11–1285 pitches a day6 innings
League Age 13–1495 pitches a day7 innings
League Age 15–1695 pitches a day7 innings
League Age 17–18105 pitches a day7 innings
League Age 19–22120 pitches a day9 innings
Rest owed after a day's work — League Age 7–8
Pitches thrownCalendar days of rest
0–20none
21–351
36 or more2
Rest owed after a day's work — League Age 9–10 to League Age 13–14
Pitches thrownCalendar days of rest
0–20none
21–351
36–502
51–653
66 or more4
Rest owed after a day's work — League Age 15–16
Pitches thrownCalendar days of rest
0–30none
31–451
46–602
61–753
76 or more4
Rest owed after a day's work — League Age 17–18
Pitches thrownCalendar days of rest
0–30none
31–451
46–602
61–803
81 or more4
Rest owed after a day's work — League Age 19–22
Pitches thrownCalendar days of rest
0–30none
31–451
46–602
61–803
81–1054
106 or more5

The rules that catch people out

  • Pitches thrown in exhibition games count toward every limit.
  • Players do not pitch at Foal 4U or Shetland 6U — those divisions use a coach, a machine or a tee, so no pitching limit applies and Even Innings does not offer them.
  • Once removed from the mound, a pitcher may not return to pitch in the same game.

Where these numbers come from

Source: PONY Baseball Rule Book, Section 10 D (Pitching Rules) and the Pitch Smart chart printed there — 2026 edition, checked 2026-09-09.
Published at: https://ponybbsb.freshdesk.com/en/support/solutions/articles/27000070416-baseball-rulebook

PONY also runs another program

PONY's rules are not the same across its programs, and the difference is a real one rather than an oversight on this page: PONY Softball sets no pitching limit while PONY Baseball does. If you coach both, expect them to behave differently — because the books do. See PONY Softball.

Your league may be stricter

Local boards can and do add restrictions on top of the national rule — inning caps, tighter daily limits, time limits. What they cannot do is go the other way. If your league runs tighter than the table above, your league wins.

Even Innings is a planning aid, not a compliance system. It cannot know what happened in a game, and it does not replace your rulebook or your league's own bylaws. Always confirm current-year specifics with your own league.