Rules

Little League Rest Day Requirements

Little League requires mandatory rest days for pitchers based on how many pitches they throw in a game (see the daily pitch count limits by age). A pitcher who throws 1-20 pitches can pitch again the next day with zero rest. A pitcher who throws 66 or more pitches must rest 4 full calendar days before pitching again. The full days rest chart is below. Violating rest day rules can result in a game forfeit.

Rest Day Chart (League Age 14 and Under)

Pitches Thrown in a Day	Required Rest Days
1-20	0 days (eligible the next calendar day)
21-35	1 calendar day
36-50	2 calendar days
51-65	3 calendar days
66+	4 calendar days

Rest Day Chart (League Age 15-16)

Older pitchers get slightly wider tiers before rest kicks in:

Pitches Thrown in a Day	Required Rest Days
1-30	0 days (eligible the next calendar day)
31-45	1 calendar day
46-60	2 calendar days
61-75	3 calendar days
76+	4 calendar days

Two more points on these charts. "Calendar days" means full days of rest, not hours: if a pitcher throws 70 pitches on Monday, the rest days are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and the earliest they can pitch again is Saturday. And regardless of pitch counts, no player may pitch on three consecutive days.

How to Count Rest Days

Rest days start the day AFTER the pitching appearance. This is the single most confusing part of the rule, and the reason most violations happen.

Example: Tyler throws 55 pitches on Tuesday. He needs 3 rest days.

Wednesday = rest day 1
Thursday = rest day 2
Friday = rest day 3
Saturday = eligible to pitch

Tuesday is NOT a rest day; it's the pitching day. Coaches who count Tuesday as "day 1" think the pitcher is available on Friday. He's not.

Example: Sarah throws 42 pitches on Saturday morning. She needs 2 rest days.

Sunday = rest day 1
Monday = rest day 2
Tuesday = eligible to pitch

Example: Jake throws 18 pitches in relief on Thursday. He needs 0 rest days. He can pitch again on Friday.

The First-Pitch Threshold Rule

For rest-day purposes, a pitcher's count is determined by the first pitch thrown to their final batter, not the finishing total. Regulation VI spells this out, and most coaches have never heard of it.

Example: Marcus starts an at-bat at 64 pitches and needs 6 pitches to retire the batter, finishing at 70. His daily total is 70, but his rest tier is set at 64 pitches: three calendar days, not four. Counting the finishing total would bench him an extra day the rule does not require.

The same principle caps the daily limit: a pitcher who reaches the maximum mid-batter may finish that batter, but may never start a new one.

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Rest Days in Doubleheaders

Whether a pitcher can even appear in both games depends on the division. In Minors, Majors, and Intermediate (50-70), a player may not pitch in more than one game per day, so doubleheader accumulation never comes up. In Junior and Senior League, a player may pitch in both games only if they threw 30 or fewer pitches in game one (league age 12 players in those divisions may never pitch twice in a day).

When a Junior or Senior pitcher does legally throw in both games, the rest calculation is based on the TOTAL pitches across both games, and the combined total may not exceed the 95-pitch daily maximum.

Example: A league age 14 Junior League pitcher throws 28 pitches in game one and 35 in game two on Saturday. Total = 63 pitches. Rest requirement: 3 calendar days (51-65 range). Eligible again on Wednesday.

Rest Days and Suspended Games

Pitches thrown in regulation ties and suspended games count against eligibility, and the official regulation includes three scenarios worth knowing cold:

A league age 12 pitcher throws 70 pitches Monday in a game that gets suspended. If it resumes Thursday, he cannot pitch in the resumption: his four rest days are not up.
Same pitcher, same 70 pitches, but the game resumes Saturday. He has observed his rest and may pitch up to 85 more pitches in the resumption, because the resumption is a new calendar day.
If the game resumes two weeks later, he may pitch up to 85 more pitches, provided his pitching in the previous four days leaves him eligible.

Rest Days During Tournament Weekends

Tournament scheduling makes rest day management critical. A three-game Saturday-Sunday tournament requires careful pitching planning because rest days carry across days.

Tournament Scenario	Pitches Saturday	Rest Needed	Available Sunday?
Light start	35	1 day	✗ No (Sunday is rest day 1)
Moderate start	50	2 days	✗ No
Relief appearance	20	0 days	✓ Yes
Full start	75	4 days	✗ No

This is why coaches need to think about Sunday's pitching before Saturday's first game. Rizzler's tournament planner handles this automatically, showing who's available for each game based on pitch count data from earlier in the tournament.

Playing under more than one organization this season? See how rest day rules compare across leagues.

Common Violations and How to Prevent Them

Violation 1: Miscounting rest days. Count from the day after pitching, not the pitching day itself. Use Rizzler's rule compliance system instead of manual counting.

Violation 2: Forgetting doubleheader accumulation. Pitches add up across all games on the same calendar day.

Violation 3: Losing track during a busy week. Tuesday league game, Thursday practice scrimmage, Saturday tournament: did Tuesday's pitcher clear rest in time? Track everything in Rizzler's schedule and the app calculates eligibility automatically.

Violation 4: Not communicating with other coaches. In all-star season, a player might pitch for their regular-season team and their all-star team in the same week, and both coaches need to know the total pitch count. Rizzler tracks pitch counts for your team; if your players also pitch for another roster, ask us about multi-team setups.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do rain-out days count as rest days?

Yes. Rest days are calendar days. If a game is rained out during the rest period, that day still counts toward the rest requirement.

Can a pitcher play other positions during rest days?

Yes. Rest day restrictions apply only to pitching. A pitcher on rest can catch, play infield/outfield, bat, and participate normally.

What if a pitcher finishes an at-bat and goes over a rest threshold?

The pitcher may finish the current at-bat, and the rest requirement is based on the count at the first pitch of that at-bat, not the finishing total. A pitcher who starts the at-bat at 64 pitches and finishes at 68 falls in the 51-65 tier (3 days), not the 66+ tier. This is Regulation VI, Note 2, and it is one of the most commonly misapplied rules in Little League.

Can a pitcher throw a few pitches every day?

No. Even at 1-20 pitches per day (which requires no rest days), no player may pitch on three consecutive days.

Who is responsible for tracking rest days?

The team manager is responsible. The league should also verify pitcher eligibility before each game using reported pitch counts from previous games. Rizzler's pitch count tracking and rule compliance make this automatic.

Can a local league change the rest day requirements?

Local leagues can adopt stricter requirements but cannot relax the Little League standard. Always check with your local league for modifications.

Done counting calendar days by hand? Rizzler calculates rest days from pitch count data automatically.

Need eligibility tracking across multiple teams or an all-star program? Our team can help.

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