UPDATE
1:57 PM PT — Little League just released a statement on the ruling, saying, in part, “While we understand and support the excitement and competition of our tournament, player safety and proper sportsmanship among all participants and fans must remain a focus. We respect the determination and judgement of the umpire who was present and are disappointed that a legal ruling contradicts the integrity of Little League International’s value and rules.”
The Little Leaguer who was suspended for his bat-flip celebration just had his ban overturned.
TMZ Sports has confirmed Gloucester County Chancery Judge Robert Malestein ruled in the youth baseball player’s favor on Thursday … just two days after the boy’s father, Joseph Rocco, sued Little League to get his son’s punishment thrown out.
Malestein said part of the basis for his decision centered on official Little League accounts previously celebrating bat flips.
The bomb
The bat flip
The griddy#LLWS pic.twitter.com/FOgG6B2nDj— Little League (@LittleLeague) August 23, 2022
@LittleLeague
“If you’re gonna have rules and enforce them, they can’t be enforced arbitrarily and capriciously,” Malestein said in court, according to the New York Post. “[I’m going to] allow him to play in tonight’s game.”
The drama all stemmed from a Little League game in New Jersey on July 16 … when a Haddonfield player hurled his bat into the air after hitting a home run.
According to Rocco’s lawsuit, the boy was ejected from the game for the move … which, per Little League rules, meant he wouldn’t be allowed to play in Haddonfield’s upcoming state championship game Thursday night.
However, Malestein’s ruling now paves the way for the boy to suit up once more … something those affiliated with Haddonfield’s team tell TMZ Sports they’re thrilled about.
