Quote:
Originally posted by Bfair
Garth Benham (quoted):
Jim Evans puts it this way:
"When a pitcher balks, one of three contingencies may occur: (1) the pitcher stops his delivery and retains possession of the ball, (2) the pitcher continues his delivery and completes his throw to a base, or (3) the pitcher continues his delivery and completes a pitch to the batter."
Does Jim Evans say anything about the offense on this play, or has he too ignored that they are part of the playing action as Childress has?
|
I think what you're forgetting is the
offense is not a part of the balk rule. What counts in the OBR is what --
and when -- the pitcher "does his thing."
In Appendix 27 of the JEA, Evans has 24 plays. In every play we read the pitcher "pitches through" or "throws anyway." As I pointed out in my first post (and without rechecking the JEA, I might add - grin), it's the difference between a continuing play and continuous play. Quoting Evans:
The pitcher balks stepping back off the rubber, and immediately, in one continuous motion [my emphasis], he wheels and throws the ball into the stands on a pick-off attempt. [Penalty: Ignore the balk.] (A-64)
And again, Evans writes:
The pitcher balks stepping off and then he throws (not pitches) the ball past the catcher all in one continuous motion. [All runners advance. Penalty: Ignore the balk.] (A-65)
Allow me to add material from the Jaksa/Roder:
If there is a balk followed by a pause [my emphasis] in which a pitcher does not try to pitch or throw, the ball becomes dead (but only when the umpire signals such) and every runner is awarded his advance base. (6th ed., p. 87)
The important point made by the J/R is that if the umpire doesn't kill the ball, it's not retroactively dead at the point of the balk. The umpire, by not signalling a dead ball, has "announced" his view that the pitcher's action was "continuous."
It does appear that the evidence from authoritative opinion is mounting more and more on the side of "That's a balk! Time! You -- second base!"
Of course, as you pointed out in your first post, the FED umpire has it easy since the ball is always immediately dead. (BTW: That was also the OBR rule until 1954, which is the first year I stepped onto the field to call balls and strikes.)