Little League World Series Urged To Change 'Worst Rule In Sports'

The Little League World Series does not feature 9-man batting lineups. Instead, the Little League World Series forces every team to bat every player on their roster. That means you’ll often see 11 or 12-man batting lineups. The best hitters on each team might only get up twice per game.

Starting with the 2023 season, Little League International simplified its Tournament Mandatory Play requirement to require all teams to utilize a Continuous Batting Order – meaning everyone bats.

Little League explained the change.

“While important to the spirit of Little League, the previous Tournament Mandatory Play Requirement had different requirements based on the number of players on a roster, important benchmarks throughout the game where substitutes needed to be entered into the game, and were complex for coaches, scorekeepers, and umpires to track throughout the game. This led to many Mandatory Play violations, both unintentional and intentional. Since 2018, the penalty for those violations was the removal of the manager for the remainder of the tournament, which led to many negative experiences for players, families, and communities, which is the antithesis of the Little League experience,” Little League explained.

“After discussions with the Little League International Advisory Board, Little League International Board of Directors including the Operations and Rules Committees, and internal staff, continuous batting order was proposed as a way to still ensure that all players on a tournament team had an opportunity to have a meaningful playing experience through the Tournament Mandatory Play Requirement.”

But not everyone is a fan.

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA – AUGUST 20: A general view from the stands during a Little League World Series game at Lamade Stadium on August 20, 2023 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)Rob Carr/Getty Images

Some are urging Little League to go back to 9-man batting orders, so the best hitters can get more at-bats.

“I’d say it’s more now having to bat your whole roster. The best hitters aren’t getting up as often as they used to,” one fan said in response to the theory that heavier bats are making it harder to hit.

“That’s worst rule in all of sports,” Barstool Sports’ Rico Bosco added.

Fans debating LLWS batting order rule

While some dislike it, others say it’s for the best.

“You guys are ridiculous. This isn’t MLB. They changed this rule few years back bc you had kids sitting the bench 5 innings. Stop worrying about wins and losses. They’re 12yrs old n it’s about developing and creating an experience,” one wrote.

“Honest question is there a mandated roster size because I would think this rule would tempt some teams to roll with 10,” one fan added.

“They’re 11/12 year olds… If you think letting them all participate is “the worst rule in all of sports” please do us all a favor and…,” one fan added.

“We’re talking about 11-12 year olds. Have some perspective. These kids lose their entire summers for this and should play in the games. I played in it one year, and came a game short another. The kids who didn’t play were heartbroken. One never picked a baseball up again,” one fan added.

Should the LLWS keep or change the rule?

This story was originally published by The Spun on Aug 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the MLB section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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