Find how many rest days a youth pitcher needs and the next day they can pitch — plus a live in-game pitch counter for the dugout.
Switch between the rest-day calculator and a live in-game counter.
| Pitches Thrown | Rest Required |
|---|---|
| 66 or more | 4 calendar days |
| 51 – 65 | 3 calendar days |
| 36 – 50 | 2 calendar days |
| 21 – 35 | 1 calendar day |
| 1 – 20 | No rest required |
Ages 15–18: same structure, but the no-rest threshold rises — 1–30 pitches requires no rest, then 31–45 = 1 day, 46–60 = 2 days, 61–75 = 3 days, 76+ = 4 days.
Daily maximums by league age: 7–8: 50 · 9–10: 75 · 11–12: 85 · 13–16: 95 · 17–18: 105.
Youth baseball ties a pitcher's required rest to how many pitches they threw, on a sliding scale set by Little League and MLB PitchSmart. This tool does two jobs: it tells you how many days of rest a pitcher needs after an outing, and it gives you a clean in-game counter for the dugout.
Pick the pitcher's league age, enter the pitches they threw, and the tool returns the required calendar days of rest and — if you enter the date pitched — the earliest date they can pitch again. The math follows the standard thresholds: for pitchers 14 and under, 66 or more pitches means four days, 51 to 65 means three, 36 to 50 means two, 21 to 35 means one, and 20 or fewer means none.
The counter mode gives you a big +1 button to tap on every pitch, a running total, and a color-coded bar that warns you as the pitcher nears the daily limit for their age. It's built for one game at a time — it intentionally doesn't try to save across games, since the safest record is your league's official pitch counter.
Pitch limits exist to protect developing arms. Youth elbow and shoulder injuries — including the kind that lead to Tommy John surgery — have risen sharply, and overuse is the leading cause. The rules aren't red tape; they're the single most effective tool for keeping young pitchers healthy across a season. A few things the limits don't capture, though: warmups, bullpens, lessons, and long toss all add stress, so total weekly workload matters as much as any single game.
Once the game's over, log the outing and track the pitcher's season. To calculate their ERA or other stats, use the ERA calculator or browse all the baseball and softball tools. For benchmarks on what a good ERA looks like at each youth level, see our good ERA by age group guide.
Do warmup pitches count?
No. Warmup pitches between innings don't count toward the daily total. Every pitch thrown to a batter — ball, strike, or foul — does count.
Does the pitch count reset between games on the same day?
No. If a pitcher throws in two games on the same calendar day, both totals add together toward the single daily limit and the rest calculation.
Is this the same for travel ball?
Not always. Organizations like USSSA and Perfect Game set their own limits, which can differ from Little League. Always check the rulebook for the specific event you're playing in.