Quote:
Originally posted by Dave Hensley
I'm OK with the balk call here. It's sort of akin to the pitcher who legally disengages but raises his hands in a windup-simulation to achieve a similar kind of deception.
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This pitcher has done nothing illegal except telegraph that he must step backward with his pivot foot (which I assume he eventually did). It sounds amongst the worst pickoff moves ever made. Are we now to put parameters on how high or how low his pivot foot must rise in order to step backward off the rubber?
This is not the same as making a motion associated with his pitch---whether on or off the rubber.
A pitcher does not raise his pivot foot from the set position to make a pitch.
If a runner is deceived by such a LEGAL but terrible move, then he deserves to be out and his basecoach banished from the team.
NOW.......if the pitcher picks up his pivot foot and simultaneously spins to the base on his nonpivot foot, then it's a simple balk to call.
Sometimes ugly is merely ugly........but ugly doesn't mean it's illegal.......
Just my opinion,
Freix