[Dave Hensley]

> You cannot possibly be serious to think that the only two things that make
> a pitch illegal are to not be in contact the rubber or to pitch before the
> batter is ready. Do you work baseball at all? Sorry Dave but this is an
> absolutely asinine assumption.

You don't seem to be grasping the distinction beween illegal acts by the pitcher, and Illegal Pitches, as explicitly defined in OBR. As you later suggested to Tee, I agree that you may be being led astray by the FED definition and penalization of illegal pitches. On this issue, FED and OBR are not the same, and are really not even close.

And yes, I do work baseball. Something in the neighborhood of 2,000 games in the last 10 years or so, predominantly teenager summer/rec ball, high school, and amateur adult.

> Okay. You say I'm wrong and that pitching illegally is not the same as
> delivering an illegal pitch. WHAT??!!!

In OBR, Illegal Pitches are specifically defined as quick pitches, and pitches made while not in contact with the rubber. Other violations of the pitching rules are illegal, but they are not Illegal Pitches, as the term Illegal Pitch is defined in the OBR.

> You say this is an ejectable offense. WHAT??!!! Where is that rule? I
> think you are going to have to conflate something pretty extreme to get
> that rule/penalty.

Rule 9.01(b) and (d) authorize the umpire to order players to do or refrain from doing anything that affects the umpire's administration of the game, and to eject for unsportsmanlike conduct. Rule 4.15(e) authorizes the umpire to declare a forfeit if a team continues to violate a rule, after warning by the umpire. By custom and practice, the forfeit penalty is frequently lessened to ejection of the offender.

To quote Evans again, "There are many rules of play included in the rulebook which do not have specific penalties prescribed for their violation. When no specific penalty is mandated by the playing rules, this rule, 4.15(e), could apply. Forfeiture is a very severe penalty; therefore, the umpire must insure that he issues sufficient warning and exercises good common sense before forfeiting a game."

> I have no idea where you are coming from. For every diamond game that I
> work, if the pitcher makes a delivery that is illegal, the umpire should
> call "ILLEGAL PITCH." The batter then gets the proper award for that
> violation of the rules as made by the defense. And that award is either a
> ball added to his count, or the results of the play. I have never heard of
> anyone ejecting a pitcher for committing an illegal pitch - unless it was
> construed to be 'making a travesty of the game' or that it possibly was an
> unsafe act endangering the batter.

Since you don't believe me, I hope you've been persuaded to rethink your understanding based on the comments of everyone else who has chimed in, endorsing the interpretation I've provided.

> Explain to me how you are envisioning the legality of this act. Is a two
> second pause (that was the original scenario) considered part of the
> delivery? Or has the time of the pitch not happened yet? Has the pitcher
> not committed himself to deliver yet - can he step off? Can he hang there
> for 15 seconds - is that also legal? During this two second pause, can the
> batter request a timeout?

Again, you misunderstand what I have said. I have not said the start/stop is legal; I have said it does not constitute an Illegal Pitch. Therefore, the Illegal Pitch penalty (ball added to the count) does not apply. Since there is no prescribed penalty, the umpire's recourse is to warn the pitcher to stop the illegal act.

Here's a reference from the MLB Umpires Manual, regarding the issue of a pitcher failing to come to a stop while in set position (a requirement of the set position as described in 8.01(b)) when no runners are on base:

The second interpretation is in regard to a pitcher using the stretch position with no runners on base and failing to come set. The Joint Committee stated that this act is not, in itself, illegal, since the Official Rules do not provide a penalty for it. However, the Committee did emphasize that Official Rule 8.01d prohibits a pitcher from delivering the pitch before the batter is reasonably set in the batter's box.

Hopefully this example helps illustrate the concept.

> Where are the big wigs on this issue? Why are they silent?

A number of regular participants have now chimed in; I believe everyone except you is in agreement with the interpretation I have conveyed. At times like these, it's good to remember that old saying "in a fight between you and the world, back the world."

> Sorry Dave you have controlled your emotions better than myself...

I'm sorry you're sorry about that. Controlling one's emotions is a good thing. It keeps one from asking people things like "do you even work baseball" and calling their opinions "asinine."