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A PITCHER does NOT have to disengage the rubber to make a legal appeal! Where in the world did THAT come from? It is perfectly legal for a pitcher to step directly to and throw to a base while still in contact with the rubber.
The reason pitchers step off is that there is MUCH more chance of balking if he does not step off first. But it is NOT required. Once the ball is live, he can step right to the base and throw without disengaging first.
And a throw to 2B for the purpose of an appeal IS making a play, a specific exception mentioned in the rules which would allow the pitcher to throw to an unoccupied base.
In the original scenario, this was a terrible call. It was legal if he disengaged first, and as long as he turned, stepped and threw without doing anything with his hands to commit to a pitch, it was legal if he did not disengage first.
More rule book umps that know what the rule says and have NO idea of how to apply it on the field!
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