The league does have a point, that baseball at that age is more for development of skills and confidence, something you won't get by facing someone leagues ahead of you.
Of course you don't want to teach your kids that massive obstacles can't be overcome, and that you shouldn't even try. However, you also don't want to frustrate them out of enjoying, or even playing, the game. What nine year old is known for his mental fortitude and tenacity? I'd wager none of them. It would take a lot of maturity and strength to stand up to something that big, and that's just not what nine year olds do.
Yeah, the other team could beat the pitcher, but not without a LOT of loss, a LOT of frustration, and a LOT of time spent doing things that little leaguers don't need to be doing (e.g. spending hours every week at a 40 mph batting cage). Nobody needs to be putting that on their kids' shoulders.
That said, there was some stupid handling of the situation, and it turned into a giant, unnecessary fiasco.
The first responsibility failure was on the coach, who kept putting him on the mound when it was clearly unnecessary and detrimental to the rest of his team and his opponents.
The next one was on the league, in two parts. First: shutting down the team. Smooth move, make national headlines for being boneheaded and helping the other side's cause more than yours. Talk to the coach; get him to not play the pitcher as much or something for the rest of the season. Second: not getting this kid into a higher league. He's not gaining anything by being in his peers' league except maybe a short jolt of self-confidence; what he needs is encouragement to develop and a challenge on which to practice. Offer him that chance, and he gets to play baseball and play it well. Win-win.
--Great
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