How many days of rest does a pitcher need? Little League rules with worked examples

A Little League pitcher aged 14 or younger who throws 29 pitches needs 1 day of rest. If they pitch on Monday, they can’t pitch Tuesday, and they’re eligible again Wednesday.

That answer comes from one line of a table. The rest of this guide shows how to read the whole table, how to count the days on a calendar, and the rules that change the answer: catching, reaching a limit in the middle of a batter, and pitching three days in a row.

Rules checked October 6, 2026 against Little League’s Regular Season Pitching Rules (Regulation VI, baseball). Your league can add stricter limits, and Little League publishes separate tournament rules, so confirm with your league before relying on these for a game.

Two numbers decide a pitcher’s rest

A pitch count is the number of pitches a player throws to batters in a day. Your league designates the scorekeeper or another game official as the official pitch count recorder, but the manager is still responsible for knowing when a pitcher has to come out.

League age is the age your league assigns each player for the season. It can differ from the player’s age on game day, so use the league age on your roster.

The pitch count tells you how much rest is required. The league age tells you which table to use.

The rest-day table

So the same 29 pitches mean 1 day of rest for a 12-year-old and no required rest for a 15-year-old.

There’s also a daily maximum. Once a pitcher reaches it, the manager has to take them off the mound. They can stay in the game at another position.

Count rest on a calendar, not in hours

Rest is measured in calendar days. The day the player pitched doesn’t count, and neither does the time of the game. Count forward one full day for each required day of rest, and the player is eligible the day after that.

Compare the two Saturday rows. Two extra pitches move the next start from Tuesday to Wednesday. If your pitcher is at 48 pitches in a close inning and you need them midweek, that’s the moment to know your numbers. Pitch counts can jump fast with a long at-bat.

Never three days in a row

Little League adds one rule that ignores the table: “Under no circumstance shall a player pitch in three (3) consecutive days.”

Here’s how a coach can miss it. A 12-year-old throws 15 pitches Monday and 18 pitches Tuesday. Both outings are under 21, so the table requires no rest after either one. The player still can’t pitch Wednesday, because that would be a third day in a row.

In Minor League, Majors, and Intermediate (50-70), a player also can’t pitch in more than one game in a day. Junior and Senior League have a separate two-game rule.

When a pitcher reaches the limit mid-batter

If a pitcher hits their daily maximum while facing a batter, they can finish that batter. They have to come out when the batter reaches base or is put out, when the third out ends the half-inning, or when the manager removes them first. They can’t start a new batter after reaching the maximum.

The rest table has a related note: “A pitcher’s pitch count for the purposes of day(s) rest threshold is determined by the first pitch thrown to a batter.” Little League’s page doesn’t work through an example of that note. If your pitcher is close to a threshold late in an outing, ask your league’s umpire-in-chief or safety officer how they apply it before the game.

Catching changes who can pitch

Little League limits how players move between pitcher and catcher on the same day.

• A player who catches 4 or more innings in a game can’t pitch that day. Little League counts one live pitch received in the 4th inning as catching that inning. Warm-ups don’t count.
• A pitcher who throws 41 or more pitches can’t catch for the rest of that day. As with the daily limit, a pitcher who reaches 40 while facing a batter can finish that batter and still be eligible to catch.
• A player who catches 3 innings or fewer, then pitches 21 or more (31 or more for league age 15 and 16), can’t go back to catcher that day.

When you plan a game, settle who pitches and who catches before filling the other positions. A player who catches the first 4 innings is no longer a relief option for that game.

Suspended games and tie games still count

Pitches thrown in a suspended game or a regulation tie game count against the pitcher’s eligibility. If the game resumes on another day, the original pitcher can only continue if they’ve had the required rest.

Little League’s own example: a league age 12 pitcher throws 70 pitches on Monday before the game is suspended. That’s 4 days of rest, Tuesday through Friday. If the game resumes Thursday, the pitcher can’t pitch in it. If it resumes Saturday, they can, up to the 85-pitch daily maximum.

Pitches for another team

Regulation VI doesn’t answer every situation for a player who also pitches for a travel team, a school team, or an All-Star team. Little League publishes separate tournament rules. We couldn’t confirm from Little League’s published pages whether regular-season pitches count toward tournament rest, so ask your district before you assume either way.

MLB and USA Baseball’s Pitch Smart guidelines recommend that young pitchers “avoid playing for multiple teams at the same time” and “avoid playing catcher while not pitching.” If a player pitched Saturday morning for another team, ask the family for the count, even when your league’s rule doesn’t require it.

Softball uses innings, not pitches

Little League Softball counts innings pitched instead of pitches. In Minor League and Majors softball, a player can pitch up to 12 innings in a day, and pitching 7 or more innings requires 1 calendar day of rest. One pitch in an inning counts as pitching that inning. Junior and Senior League softball have no pitching restrictions at the Little League level, though your league can add its own.

Track it in Who’s on Second

Use the pitch count calculator to check one outing, or print the rest days chart for the dugout.

For a whole season, Who’s on Second records each pitcher’s counts and calculates their next eligible date. Turn on these settings in your team’s rules (they’re in the Pitching Limits, Rest & Recovery, and Position Restrictions sections):

• Pitch count rest thresholds, set to your age group’s table
• Max pitches per day, set to your daily maximum
• Max consecutive pitching days, set to 2
• Catcher to Pitcher restriction, set to 4 innings
• Pitcher pitch count blocks catching, set to 41 pitches

Log pitches thrown for other teams as external pitch counts, and the rest-day calculator includes them. The app flags an ineligible pitcher before you put them on the mound. It doesn’t apply the finish-the-batter exceptions above, so the official pitch count recorder and umpire still decide those during the game.

To try it with your team, create an account. Setup is free, and your first 3 saved lineups are free per account.