[Rich]

The play does stop -- when the fake is made to first base. The subsequent throw to second is irrelevant and is made with a dead ball.

Let me provide a better example of how it can seem the play continues, but it really doesn't:

PLAY: F1 is startled and balks as the R1 breaks for second. F1 continues his throw to first. F3 catches the ball and, in an attempt to retire R1, throws the ball into the outfield.

Ruling: Play is stopped as soon as F3 catches the ball.

See NAPBL 6.7 (4) -- If the balk is followed by a pickoff throw that is caught by a fielder, call "time" the moment the fielder catches the ball.

Now, in this play, the pitcher balks, doesn't stop, and throws to first base (let's say, to eliminate ANY pause or stop that he steps toward home, in front of the 45-degree line). F3 IMMEDIATELY after catching the ball, in one motion, hurls the ball into the outfield. This happens just as the words, "That's a balk" come out of the umpire's mouth.

Play never stops, but by the NAPBL, we kill the play. It doesn't matter when the umpire calls time - by rule (or rather by the NAPBL extension of the OBR) the ball is dead.

The same principle applies on the original play I posted. Once the fake occurs to first base and a balk is acknowledged (and subsequently called), the pitcher is handling a dead ball. It doesn't matter when the balk is called, and frankly, it would be quite unreasonable to expect that an umpire could get the "That's a balk! Time!" completely out of his mouth before the pitcher has hurled the ball into the outfield.

The balk's penalty is meted out from where the balk is noticed, not from where it is announced by the umpire.

Rich

[Edited by Rich Fronheiser on Mar 1st, 2001 at 09:47 PM]