Can someone please tell me where it says, In any rule book, that whoever picks up the game ball off the mound while going out for defense must be the pitcher? We had a kid in a 16u tournament walk out on defense, pick the ball up off the dirt of the mound and then put it back down. He never warmed up or stepped on the rubber. The umpire said he must be the pitcher now because he picked up the ball off the dirt of the mound. I looked in the MLB rule book under Pitchers and substitutions and could not find that rule. the tournament director told me they play by MLB rules for the exception of the courtesy runner for the pitcher or catcher.
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