Small Fry action at Pitt Field, 1959
Small Fry Baseball pretty much adopted the rulebook of Little League Baseball Inc., but one of the ways the new Small Fry League differed with Little League Inc.’s baseball rules was what was called the “two inning rule.” Every boy on the team had to play at least two innings in each game. It was not uncommon in Little League at the time to have a 15 player roster where 9 boys played and the other 6 never left the bench.
Sandy Fisher of the Cubs batting at Pitt Field, 1959
My dad was instrumental in getting this two-inning rule adopted in the South Plainfield Small Fry League, and it was one of the reasons he advocated going outside the national Little League organization when South Plainfield decided to start their league. He wanted every boy to play in every game. Later when he stepped down from being Commissioner and became a team manager, he added a rule for his own team that each boy on the roster would get to play at least 2 complete games during the season. This never became a league rule, but I know the younger kids on his teams loved that opportunity, even if it meant batting 9th and playing right field!
Letter to parents regarding Small Fry League policies, including the “two inning” rule.
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