[Tim C]

. . . slow down for a second, please.

50 years ago the ONLY way a RH pitcher tossed over to first was to "turn" on his pivot foot and throw to first and was ALWAYS in contact with the pitcher's plate.

By about 1962 coaches had perfected and devloped the "step off" movement. You will not find any reference to an OBR rules change that deals with this. Easy enough since we had always had a legal way to disengage from the pitcher's plate pitchers just started using in and incorporated throwing to first from this movement.

Now we fast forward to the 1980's when college pitcher's started using the "jump turn" to throw to first. It was decided, first by "tradition", that this move was legal and would be considered "in contact" with the plate. No problem.

Then that pesky Greg Maddox (or one will say Jim Porter) invented the jab step where F1 takes the pivot foot and stabs it directly towards third base then turns and throws to first. This move, again through tradition, was placed into common usage at all big boy levels. And, yet again, was considered to be "in contact" with the pitcher's plate.

So now we have a number of ways that a RH pitcher can throw legally to first base. Step off, jump turn, jab step and spin have all been accepted as legal procedures in holding a runner by a RHP.

I have read the original post three times (which means nothing since sometimes I read what I "think" is there rather than what is "actually" there) and the umpire's explanation is just plain wrong.