Little League Baseball Player's Bat-Flip Suspension Overturned for State Title Game

A Little League player will be allowed to compete in the New Jersey Little League State Tournament final after a judge overruled the league's ability to suspend him following an ejection for a bat flip, the organization announced on Thursday.

The decision was made Thursday afternoon by Gloucester County Chancery Judge Robert Malestein, hours before the state championship tournament begins at 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday night in Deptford.

“If you’re gonna have rules and enforce them they can’t be enforced arbitrarily and capriciously," Judge Malestein said in his ruling, per the New York Post's Natalie O'Neill.

The Little League said in a statement that it would respect Judge Malestein's ruling but was "extremely disappointed" by the decision.

"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," the Little League wrote. "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."

Marco Rocco, a 12-year-old from Haddonfield, was ejected from a July 16 game by an umpire after celebrating hitting a two-run home run against Harrison Township by flipping his bat.

A video shared by NJ.com shows the bat landing next to the first base line as Marco began to run the bases.

The two runs were initially taken off the scoreboard, but returned to Haddonfield's score after an appeal to Little League, per USA Today's Scooby Axson.

Marco was still suspended one game for what his family was told were actions described as “unsportsmanlike” and “horseplay," per Mark Pratt of the Associated Press. The Little League safety code specifically prohibits "horse play" on the field.

Marco's father Joe Rocco filed an emergency temporary restraining order on Tuesday in the Gloucester County Court Chancery Division, per Tom McGurk of the Cherry Hill Courier-Post.

He said Marco's suspension was unfair in part because Little League representatives "promote bat flips."

The Athletic's Sarah Jean Maher pointed out that the team's official X account previously promoted a video of a player flipping a bat during the 2022 Little League World Series.

The judge cited the fact that the Little League had posted videos of bat flips in his decision, per O'Neill.

The ruling was initially delayed from Wednesday because lawyers representing the defendants said they didn't have enough time to file paperwork, per O'Neill, Kevin Sheehan and David DeTurris of the New York Post.

The decision was still made in enough time for Marco to join Haddonfield against Elmora for the first game of a double-elimination tournament.

Whichever team emerges from the tournament will advance to Metro Region series in Bristol, Connecticut, according to McGurk.