When to throttle down

Given that it is a tournament situation, I don't think you can let off the gas until you have the run rule.  So in your case at 12.  Runs allowed and pitching can kill you in tournament play.  So best to get the game completed ASAP. 

Play hard. Letting up is when players get hurt. If the other team doesn't like it they shouldn't play up or get better. When the opposing coach didn't want to hear tournament logic in run ruling a team your coach should have walked away. I tried to explain run rule logic to a couple of new travel coaches in 13u. They didn't get it. It's not worth the effort when coaches are frustrated because their team is getting pounded.

One time I hoped the other team would hurry up and mercy us so I could chew out my team for rolling over and dying. Two weeks later we mercied them on a one hitter. Both were good teams. Baseball can be very unpredictable.

The problem with younger ages is that there are a lot of "daddy's" running teams that are not seasoned and calm and understand the nature of the game so they get all worked up about stuff they should not. Sounds like the ump had a level head and dealt with the situation, even though it was a bit unconventional. Once a team get's over 5 runs in a run rule environment you will see coaches start to sub out players. 

It's a tournament game, you do what you can to play as few innings as possible - mainly to save pitching. 

If it was a league game it's a little different. 

No problem there. 

All, thanks for the responses.  I've been around tourney ball since my oldest was 10 (he's now 19).  We are a team that likes to carry ourselves with a level of integrity.  For some reason I was questioning myself on this one.  

No. Never let up. Letting up is mocking the other team by telling them they blow and the only way they can get an out is if you get yourself out on purpose. Play it straight up. Especially in tournaments where run rule short games work to your advantage.

Also, when using subs, these players most likely hardly ever see the field so when you put them in a blowout game, give them an opportunity to play and then you pull them back from playing their game just because the other team can't get out if its own way? No way. That's just not right doing that to players. Just let them play and let the other team worry about getting outs.

NEVER let up?  So if you are up 18 runs, you should continue to steal, hit and run, etc., zombywoof?  Just clarifying here....

Teams don't have to steal and hit and run (which involves leaving on the pitch like a steal) in a blowout. But take your rips. If you hit the ball off the fence don't stop at first. Just don't go for the sliding triple. If a catcher can't block pitches, tough. Score on wild pitches.

Play the game right. Don't turn the game into a pity party on the other team. It's insulting. I'd rather have another ten runs poured on my team than be pitied. I would have a talk with my team afterwards about manning up and not rolling over and dying.

These situations create a ton of frustration on coaches and we've all seen it get ugly.

I think the op received the answer which he already knew (maybe looking for some reassurance, understandable) - regardless, every pitch you play to score.

Hopefully this younger team had a bad outing with you guys and was competitive at 15U throughout the tournament. I always hated playing younger teams that were playing up but couldn't compete at the older age group, but that's a different thread.....

I think there is a difference in playing hard and playing to win vs. taking advantage of mistakes by an "inferior" team.  If you're scoring runs without hitting the ball out of the infield, you're not really getting anything out of it.  So, imo, you stop when you get to the run rule.  However, if your driving the ball into the gaps, keep playing. 

Agreed.  I think there is a HUGE difference between getting your run rule (and maybe a few more to be safe), than there is to exploit a much weaker team after you have the game well in control.  Again, just checking.

I have always had a very strong opinion on this topic.

Q: When to throttle down? 

A: When the game is over.

If a coach is upset about an opponent attempting to score, he should:
A) learn the rules of baseball (and that, literally, the point of the offensive game is to score).

B) field a better team.

I have never thought that trying to score runs is anything except the only way to play the game of baseball. I was on both the giving and receiving end of rough blowouts as a player and I never understood the concept of "showing up" an opponent. Quite frankly, if I was the coach of the winning team in the OP, I probably would have laughed at the opposing coach for making himself look like a fool. And I would have laughed even harder if an umpire asked me to leave the field because of that instance.

I hope that I conveyed my feelings on this topic strong enough. A coach getting upset because his opponent is scoring runs is absolutely ridiculous.

Was it Whitey Herzog who said, "We'll stop stealing bases if they promise not to hit any homers?"

I'm in general agreement on not calling off the dogs because you have a big lead. The only two exceptions might be stealing home, probably because my son is a catcher who has had to catch several games when the other team was blowing them out of the water. Long game for a catcher! The second exception is letting the players who never get to play have a chance. Let them play their position, maybe let a pitcher who likes to hit have an at bat, etc.

Funny this came up today.  Im the original OP on this.  We were sorta on the other side of this this past weekend.  Not a complete blow out but down by 6 going into the 6th inning.  Rule was 8 after 5.  It was apparent that we were going to have a hard time making up the runs.  Myself and one of the other coaches were actually hoping they would put the 2 runs across the plate to end the game early.  This was in the winner bracket for a double elim tourney.  We knew we were dropping down to the loser bracket and wanted to save an inning or two of pitching.

Big difference between playing hard and getting big leads in games and being jerks by running up the score. Big difference when your team is up 15 runs and players are being respectful than when you are up 15 and the dugout is going ape sh&* over their team scoring a run on a passed ball. There's a difference....but many coaches (and parents) don't understand that.

You should continue to play the game as it was meant to be played and still respect your opponent. 

Absolutely take the run rule....and if the other coach doesn't understand then tough luck.  I think the fact that he put on the "SS cut off play" at 15U tells you enough about him....any team that would think that would work at that age must not have played in any real competitive tourneys.  The fact that the opposing coach even tried it would have made me laugh...

Got to thinking about this a little today.  Bishop more or less said it.  If your team has a big lead you can still play hard, but be respectful to your opponent.  You just never know, you could have a bad inning defensively and you'll be wondering where that big lead went.

I know when my son played legion, it was tempting to slack up with a big lead, but most of the legion teams were good and could fight their way back into the game.  Our legion coach really never let up on the "gas".  It was get all you can get every inning.  In his last year of legion, my son's legion team was losing 6-0 by the 2nd inning in the 2nd round of the district playoffs.  Not a big lead, but it was almost comfortable enough to see the other team sort of slack off.  In the end that cost them.  My son's legion team kept chipping away at the lead scoring 4 runs over the next 6 innings.  Son hit a 2 RBI double with 2 outs to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth and his team eventually won 7-6 in 11 innings.

Even at JuCo, his team never let up when they got a big lead.  Big leads (10 runs or more) were rare, but they did happen.

When?never.Let them eat cake........................