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I would guess that the rule is kept in place to put the lid on EXTREME abuses of the pitching rules.
Can you imagine what we might see if the rule was stricken from the books? With no restriction at all, a pitcher could start her move from the plate with something resembling a standing broad competition. She could fling herself ten feet forward from the rubber, then deliver her pitch.
Contrast that with what Cat does, which involves the pivot foot getting a couple of inches above the ground (sometimes- she looked pretty good and legal during the World Cup telecasts this summer) and can usually only be detected on slo-mo instant replay.
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