In 2014, MLB unveiled their state of the art Replay Operations Center, a 900-square-foot room at the offices of Major League Baseball Advanced Media in the historic Chelsea Market building. It’s a technological marvel, outfitted with state-of-the-art video equipment. And it’s the nerve center of Major League Baseball’s expanded replay system. Unfortunately, PHBA is unable…

Read More

The PHBA Baseball and Softball rules for the 2022 season have been updated and posted on the Rules page. Key changes to this season’s rules include but are not limited to: Softball American 2023 The Dropped Third Strike is no longer in effect for Softball American. Baseball Pioneer 2022 Removal of overthrow pitch rule –…

Read More

The rule for the number of coach pitches allowed was changed in 2020. So how many pitches does a coach really get to throw during coach pitch? This one seems simple enough, and yet the math never seems to add up for most coaches and umpires. This has been the rule for softball for years,…

Read More

The rule for coach pitch interference was changed for baseball in 2020 and is now consistent with softball rules. The coach should make every effort (think Neo in the Matrix) to avoid contact with a hit or thrown ball. However, if the coach is hit by the ball, the ball is LIVE and play will…

Read More

The Look Back rule is specific to softball.  The rule, in the words of USA Softball (teamusa.org), “was supposed to stop players from dancing around between bases while the ball was in the Pitcher’s possession and control in the Pitcher’s Circle.”  The short, paraphrased version of this rule is this:  When the Pitcher A) Has…

Read More

The foul tip is one those baseball rules that confuses the casual enjoyer of America’s pastime and infuriates baseball purists.  This article is designed to help you understand this simple yet often misunderstood rule. According to MLB.com,  “A foul tip is a batted ball that goes sharply and directly to the catcher’s hand or glove and…

Read More