Home Team

[MadBandit22]

In the tournaments we have played in, typically we do not know if we are home or away until after the coaches meet with the umpires at home plate and did the coin flip. So what would you do there? Wait tuntil after and then go to your dugout?

In tournaments there is usually an open area where you can set-up and warm-up before games.
I’m talking about LL, MS & HS ball. Travel is a different animal.

 

[So Cal Seth]

Your kidding right? Watch any MLB games lately? Home team is along 1st base line.

Not kidding, and I watch many MLB games. Both the Angels and Dodgers have their home dugout on the 3B side. I grew up playing Little League, Pony and high school ball with the home teams on the 3B side. In our softball league, the home teams take the 3B dugout.

 

[Cougars]

Not kidding, and I watch many MLB games. Both the Angels and Dodgers have their home dugout on the 3B side. I grew up playing Little League, Pony and high school ball with the home teams on the 3B side. In our softball league, the home teams take the 3B dugout.

Similar for us. We have away, league games tomorrow night and Thursday at fields I've never seen. Even if we beat the home team to the field, it wouldn't even cross my mind to setup on the 3B side.

 

[Dabears17]

Rec league my daughter played in has 'home occupies third base dugout' in our rules as a local rule. Must be because our local MLB teams are the Giants and A's.

 

[texasheat]

If you go back in time I believe you will see this was common practice. Not sure when the changes were allowed to occur.
I take my cue from the Greatest sports franchise ever. (Yankees)
Not sure the Cubs or Chisox are a good measuring stick.

I ask you in your own words ........................................ "Have you watched a MLB game lately"? Because if you had, you would have seen a lot of home teams in the 3rd base dugout.

 

[MadBandit22]

Not kidding, and I watch many MLB games. Both the Angels and Dodgers have their home dugout on the 3B side. I grew up playing Little League, Pony and high school ball with the home teams on the 3B side. In our softball league, the home teams take the 3B dugout.

Maybe it’s a regional thing. In our area back in my playing days home team was always 1st base line.

 

[Eric F]

I prefer the 3B dugout. That way the 3B coach (usually the HC) also has quick communication with the dugout while the team is at bat.

Like the rest of the Cali folks, home team in the 3B dugout has always been the standard for me.

 

[robertc3]

Around the PNW the home team is the 3rd base dugout, except at T-Mobile park where the Mariners play. There it is the 1st base dugout because there was more room for their offices on the 1st base side of the stadium.

 

[canyonjoe]

In all of our tournaments Higher seed always got 3rd base in bracket play and most of the time were automatically home team. When I played Little league 1st base was home team but in Babe Ruth an High School it was 3rd base for Home team.

 

[CMMom1740]

Question for the masses here:
What happened to etiquette that the home team gets the 1st base line dugout?
It seems like now the 1st team to the field gets to choose their dugout.
The home team should always be on the 1st base line and the visitor along the 3rd base line. Did I miss a memo at some point saying that it was a free for all?

I think it's probably a matter of timing for TB at least. By the time they flip the coin, teams already want to be settled in the dugout and ready to hit the field. If they had to do a dugout shuffle, that would take up time and cause that field to run late.