cmba-bylaws/.ai/skills/baseball-rules/SKILL.md

name, description

name	description
baseball-rules	Use this skill for baseball rules interpretations, rulebook citation work, cross-code comparisons, and local policy drafting that depends on baseball rulebooks stored locally in this repository. It covers Official Baseball Rules, NFHS baseball rules, American Legion Baseball senior rules, and NCAA baseball rules.

Baseball Rules

Use this skill when the answer depends on a governing baseball code, not just general baseball knowledge.

When To Use

• Use this skill for eligibility, lineup, substitution, re-entry, batting out of order, protest, appeal, obstruction, interference, ejection, suspension, pitching, and game-administration questions.
• Use this skill when the user wants rulebook-backed answers, citations, or draft language grounded in an existing baseball code.
• Use this skill when writing local league policies that borrow from, override, or reconcile an existing ruleset.
• Use this skill when comparing how multiple baseball codes treat the same situation.

Rule Sets In Scope

• references/2026-official-baseball-rules.pdf: Official Baseball Rules, used as the pro-style baseline unless local context says otherwise.
• references/NFHS-Baseball-RB.pdf: NFHS baseball rules for high-school play.
• references/39ACY1225-Baseball-Rule-Book-Senior.pdf: American Legion Baseball Rule Book, including senior baseball rules and Legion-specific administrative rules.
• references/PRMBA_RulesBook.pdf: NCAA baseball rules for college play.

Do not merge these codes into one composite answer unless the user explicitly asks for a comparison.

Ruleset Selection

Choose the governing source before answering.

• If the user says MLB, professional, pro-style, or cites OBR rule numbers, start with Official Baseball Rules.
• If the user says high school, varsity, state association, or NFHS, use the NFHS book.
• If the user says college, NCAA, collegiate, or NCAA mechanics, use the NCAA book.
• If the user says American Legion, Legion, department tournament, roster certification, or Legion protest, use the American Legion rule book.
• If the user says local league, tournament, or house rules, determine whether the local rules adopt one of the base codes and then identify any local overrides.

If the governing code is uncertain:

• State the uncertainty explicitly.
• Give a conditional answer by ruleset when the likely codes differ in outcome.
• Avoid presenting one code as universal baseball law.

Source Handling

Prefer local sources in references/.

Use mutool to inspect PDFs without converting entire books unless needed.

Examples:

mutool draw -F txt -o - references/2026-official-baseball-rules.pdf 1
mutool draw -F txt -o - references/NFHS-Baseball-RB.pdf 45

For broader searching, extract text into a temporary file under .ai/ and then search with rg.

Example workflow:

mkdir -p .ai/tmp
mutool draw -F txt -o .ai/tmp/obr.txt references/2026-official-baseball-rules.pdf
rg -n "batting out of order|appeal play|courtesy runner" .ai/tmp/obr.txt

Working rules for source use:

• Read only the relevant book and section for the current question.
• Prefer rule text, definitions, and explicit penalties over memory.
• If the book has a table of contents, definitions, case plays, approved rulings, or comments, use those to narrow the search before reading widely.
• If a rulebook answer depends on a definition, cite both the operative rule and the definition when helpful.

Analysis Workflow

1. Identify the governing ruleset.
2. Classify the question: lineup/substitution, dead-ball/live-ball, timing play, force/tag, appeal/protest, equipment, eligibility, discipline, pitching, mercy/time limits, or administrative procedure.
3. Read the minimum rulebook text needed to answer the question.
4. Separate explicit rule text from interpretation.
5. Check for exceptions, penalties, and restart/resume mechanics.
6. If local rules are involved, state the base code first and then the local override.
7. If comparing rulesets, answer side-by-side instead of blending language.

Common Risk Areas

Be careful in these categories because different codes often diverge:

• Courtesy runners
• Re-entry and substitution rules
• Batting out of order
• Force-play slide / collision / interference rules
• Malicious contact / flagrant conduct terminology
• Pitching restrictions, visits, and batter minimums
• Protest rights and timing
• Appeal mechanics and live-ball versus dead-ball requirements
• Ejections, suspensions, and administrative penalties
• Game-ending procedures, run limits, time limits, and tie-game handling

Interpretation Rules

• Treat the rulebook as controlling and your reasoning as secondary.
• Say when an answer is explicit in the book versus inferred from multiple sections.
• Do not overstate certainty when the text is ambiguous or fact-sensitive.
• Distinguish between playing rules and tournament or roster-administration rules.
• Distinguish between what is permitted, what is a violation, and what the penalty or remedy is.
• When the answer depends on timing, identify the trigger: pitch, play, appeal, substitution, discovery, or protest timing.

Citation Style

Keep citations precise and compact.

• Prefer rule numbers, section names, or page numbers when available.
• Quote only the minimum text needed.
• If you cannot reliably identify a rule number from the extracted text, cite the rulebook and page or nearby heading instead of guessing.
• When comparing codes, give each citation next to its own conclusion.

Policy Drafting Guidance

When using these books to draft local rules:

• State the base code being adopted.
• List each intentional departure from that base code.
• Preserve terminology from the governing code unless the local rule deliberately redefines it.
• Avoid creating local rules that conflict with penalty enforcement or protest procedures unless the local league clearly intends that result.
• Flag places where a short local rule has hidden downstream effects, especially on substitutions, forfeits, eligibility, and discipline.

Output Patterns

For a single-code interpretation, prefer:

1. Governing ruleset.
2. Short answer.
3. Why, with concise rule support.
4. Citation.
5. Any material caveat, exception, or unresolved ambiguity.

For a multi-code comparison, prefer:

1. Brief statement of the issue.
2. One subsection per ruleset.
3. A short bottom-line comparison noting where the outcomes differ.

What Not To Do

• Do not answer from memory when the local PDFs can be checked.
• Do not assume OBR controls amateur, school, college, or Legion play.
• Do not confuse NCAA with NFHS.
• Do not confuse playing rules with administrative tournament regulations.
• Do not claim a citation you have not actually verified in the source.