Rules

Little League Pitch Count Limits by Age

Little League's pitch count rules set daily limits by league age. Pitchers league age 6-8 can throw a maximum of 50 pitches per day. Pitchers aged 9-10 can throw 75. Pitchers aged 11-12 can throw 85, and pitchers aged 13-16 can throw 95. These limits come from Regulation VI of the official Little League rules and apply to regular season and tournament play.

Flat isometric illustration of a pitcher on the mound with a digital pitch counter overlay showing count numbers by age

How Many Pitches Can a Pitcher Throw in Little League?

The daily maximum depends on the pitcher's league age, not their calendar age:

League Age	Daily Maximum Pitches
6-8	50
9-10	75
11-12	85
13-16 (Intermediate, Juniors, and Seniors)	95

League age is set by the annual age chart, so a "12-year-old" by birthday might be league age 11 or 13 for rule purposes. See the age eligibility rules for how league age is determined.

The manager must remove the pitcher when they reach the limit, but the player can stay in the game at another position. One hard rule sits on top of all the tiers: under no circumstance may a player pitch on three consecutive days, no matter how few pitches they threw.

Pitching Rest-Day Calculator

Pick the ruleset and age group, enter the pitches thrown and the date, and get the required rest days and the first day the pitcher is eligible again.

RulesetAge groupPitches thrownDate pitched

Enter the pitches thrown to see rest days and the eligible date.

League age 11-12 rest tiers	1-20	21-35	36-50	51-65	66+
Calendar days of rest	0	1	2	3	4

Rest tier is set by the count at the first pitch to the final batter, not the finishing total.
No player may pitch on three consecutive days, regardless of pitch counts.
A pitcher who reaches the daily max may finish the current batter but may not start a new one.
Single-pitcher, single-appearance calculator. Multi-game weekends, doubleheader rules and catcher-to-pitcher restrictions are on the pages linked here; the full team tracker is in development.

How the Pitch Count Rule Works

Every pitch thrown to a batter counts: ball, strike, foul ball, or ball in play. Between-innings warmup pitches do not count. Pitches thrown in a game that ends as a regulation tie or is suspended still count against the pitcher's eligibility.

Two rules trip up more coaches than any others:

The finish-the-batter exception. If a pitcher reaches their daily limit while facing a batter, they may keep pitching until that batter reaches base or is retired, the third out ends the half-inning, or the pitcher is removed. What they may not do is start a new batter once the limit is reached.

Rest days key off the first pitch of the at-bat. For rest-day purposes, a pitcher's count is determined by the first pitch thrown to their final batter. A league age 11 pitcher who starts an at-bat at 64 pitches and finishes it at 68 falls in the 51-65 rest tier (three days), not the 66+ tier (four days). Coaches who assume the finishing total sets the tier bench pitchers a day longer than the rule requires, or worse, protest games they would lose.

When Rest Days Are Triggered

Pitch counts set the daily maximum. Rest day requirements determine when the pitcher can pitch again. Little League uses two rest tables, one for league age 14 and under and one for 15-16:

Pitches Thrown	Rest, age 14 and under	Pitches Thrown	Rest, age 15-16
1-20	0 days	1-30	0 days
21-35	1 day	31-45	1 day
36-50	2 days	46-60	2 days
51-65	3 days	61-75	3 days
66+	4 days	76+	4 days

Rest days are calendar days. A pitcher who throws 70 pitches on Tuesday cannot pitch again until Sunday. For worked examples, including the suspended-game scenarios in the official regulation, see the rest day requirements page.

Can a Little League Pitcher Throw in Two Games in One Day?

Usually no, and this is where a lot of doubleheader plans fall apart. Regulation VI(k) splits by division:

Minor League, Little League (Majors), and Intermediate (50-70): a player may not pitch in more than one game in a day, period. Even one pitch in game one ends their day as a pitcher.
Junior and Senior League: a player may pitch in up to two games in a day, but only if they threw 30 or fewer pitches in the first game (with the standard finish-the-batter exception). At 31 or more pitches in game one, they are done pitching for the day. Across both games, the combined total still may not exceed the 95-pitch daily maximum.
The 12-year-old exception: a league age 12 player participating in the Junior or Senior division is never eligible to pitch in two games in a day.

Pitching and Catching in the Same Game

The pitch count also controls who can catch. Three interlocking rules from Regulation VI(a):

A player who catches four or more innings cannot pitch that calendar day. Receiving even one pitch in their fourth inning behind the plate counts as having caught four innings.
A player who caught three innings or fewer, then pitches 41 or more pitches, cannot return to catcher that day. There is a threshold exception at exactly 40: a pitcher who hits 40 mid-batter can finish that batter and still keep catcher eligibility, provided they are removed before pitching to another batter.
For 15- and 16-year-olds, the catcher-return threshold is 31 pitches rather than 21 for the related same-day rule.

The catcher to pitcher rule page walks through each scenario with examples, because this is the violation umpires and opposing scorekeepers catch most often.

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Do Tournament Games Use the Same Pitch Counts?

Yes. All-Star tournament play uses the same daily limits by league age and the same rest tiers. The practical differences are procedural: the tournament director designates the official pitch count recorder, eligibility is checked against the pitcher eligibility form before each game, and a violation discovered in a tournament game can cost you the game on protest. Confirm details in the current Little League Tournament Rules and Guidelines for your division, and treat the eligibility form as a pre-game checklist item alongside your lineup card.

Who Tracks the Count, and What Happens on a Violation

Each league must designate the scorekeeper or another game official as the official pitch count recorder. The recorder must provide the current count to any manager or umpire on request, and should notify the Umpire-in-Chief when a pitcher hits their maximum. None of that transfers responsibility: under Regulation VI(g), the manager is responsible for removing an ineligible pitcher even if the recorder and umpire both miss it. Violations are protestable under Playing Rule 4.19.

That is why experienced coaches track independently rather than trusting the official count alone. Paper works until a foul-ball flurry or a mid-inning pitching change, which is precisely when it fails. Rizzler's pitch counting logs every pitch from the dugout during in-game scoring, and game planning shows each pitcher's remaining eligibility before you write Sunday's lineup.

What About Little League Softball?

Softball limits are innings-based, not pitch-based. In Minors and Majors, a player may pitch a maximum of 12 innings in a day, and pitching seven or more innings in a day requires one calendar day of rest. Delivering a single pitch in an inning counts as pitching that inning. Junior and Senior softball have no pitching restrictions, and Majors, Junior, and Senior teams may use at most five pitchers per game. Unlike baseball, a softball pitcher may pitch in both games of a doubleheader if she has innings remaining.

How Little League Pitch Counts Compare to Other Leagues

Little League's system is the most structured in youth baseball. Other organizations handle limits differently:

League	Pitch Count System
Little League	Fixed daily limits by age + mandatory rest tiers, enforced by rule
USSSA	No universal pitching limits; varies by age division and event
Perfect Game	Pitch Smart-based limits and rest tiers posted per event
High school (NFHS)	Each state association sets its own limits and rest tiers

See the full pitch count rules comparison across leagues, and the tournament planning guide for managing eligibility across a multi-game weekend.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the Little League pitch count limits by age for 2026?

League age 6-8: 50 pitches per day. Ages 9-10: 75. Ages 11-12: 85. Ages 13-16: 95. The same maximums apply in regular season and tournament play, and no pitcher may pitch on three consecutive days.

How many pitches can a 12-year-old throw in Little League?

A league age 12 pitcher may throw up to 85 pitches per day. Throwing 66 or more triggers four calendar days of rest; 51-65 triggers three days.

Do warmup pitches count toward the pitch count?

No. Only pitches delivered to a batter during live play count. Between-innings warmups and bullpen throws are excluded.

What happens if a pitcher reaches the limit mid-batter?

The pitcher may finish that batter, but cannot start a new one. For rest-day purposes, their count is determined by the first pitch thrown to that final batter, so finishing an at-bat cannot push a pitcher into a higher rest tier.

Can a pitcher throw in both games of a doubleheader?

In Minors, Majors, and Intermediate: no, one game per day as a pitcher. In Junior and Senior League: only if they threw 30 or fewer pitches in game one, and the two games combined stay within the 95-pitch daily max. League age 12 players in Junior/Senior may never pitch twice in a day.

Who is responsible for tracking the pitch count?

The league designates an official pitch count recorder, but the manager is always responsible for removing an ineligible pitcher, even when the recorder or umpire fails to flag it. Track independently: Rizzler counts every pitch from your phone while you score the game.

Can a league set stricter pitch count limits?

Yes. Local leagues and districts may adopt stricter limits than the Little League standard, never more lenient ones. If your league runs custom limits, set them in Rizzler's rule compliance settings so eligibility warnings match your league's actual rules.

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