Quote:
Originally posted by Rbn3
This is another "technicality" that baffles me. I just spent the weekend watching 14 year olds pitch - kids on travel teams who have each played probably 50 games a year or more for five years.
Most, but not all, of the pitchers, from the wind up, pick up the free foot from the rubber and then plant it a few inches in front of the rubber to the side, then pick it up again and deliver. Most never take a step back. Clearly this is two steps foward (and one to the side of the rubber). They do this apparently to balance their pivot. Mechanically this destroys any theoretical advantage of the wind up, since they basically end up throwing from a modified stretch, rather than rocking back and pivoting in one continuous movement.
But I have never seen an umpire try to correct what obviously is a violation of the rule: "With his "free" foot the pitcher may take one step backward and one step
forward, but under no circumstances, to either side, that is to either the first base or third base side of the pitcher's rubber."
Why is this "two step" delivery permitted?
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First of all the rule reads "may" and not must.
Second, the rules talk about not stepping to the side because in pro baseball a pitcher MAY step directly to first or third from the wind-up position in an attempted pickoff. Stepping to the side MAY lead a runner to think a pickoff is being attempted. However, 14 yr old pitchers are most likely trained using HS rules, which DO NOT allow this type of pick-off from the windup. They have also modified their rules this year to allow a step to the side of the rubber during the delivery.
There are enough infractions for an umpire to watch for during the delivery of a pitch, exact use of footwork in a manner that may or may not deceive the runner is just not necessary, with the exception of the pitcher properly stepping off the plate. Even this can be overlooked if not done to deceive the runner.