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1. OBR rules and a Pony League tournament (13-14).
2. R2, no outs.
3. Right-handed pitcher in stretch position but facing first base. (glove is still on his left hand)
4. Pitcher steps off with his pivot foot towards second base and immediatly throws to pick off runner. R2 was safe however the opposing coach wanted a balk.

Is this considered a balk?

I stated that no where in the rulebook does it state how the pitcher should engage the rubber relative to his throwing hand and therefore is legal. After the game we had a group discussion, that included the tournament director, and he felt that it should be a balk based upon the closing sentences at the end of section 8.05, which states:

Umpires should bear in mind that the purpose of the balk rule is to prevent the pitcher from deliberately deceiving the base runner. If there is doubt in the umpire’s mind, the “intent” of the pitcher should govern. However, certain specifics should be borne in mind:

His argument, which makes sense, is that the pitcher had one thing in mind and that was to deceive the runner and there was never any intent to pitch the baseball and thus should be a balk. I could buy into that argument, but I wanted to get more input from some of my peers. Thanks for any information.