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Originally Posted by SouthGARef
I'm mainly a football and basketball ref, just started doing baseball last year. Usually I just look up answers to things like this in the rule book myself, but I'm in the process of a move and all my books are boxed up.
Anyway, I was working a district 14u tournament yesterday. Between games I overheard an umpire on another field talking to a coach. Evidently in the game they had, a player tried to steal home. The catcher sat back in the catchers box, caught the ball, and tagged the runner. The umpire made a safe call. After the inning was over, the umpire overheard the defensive coach telling his catcher to move forward and reach for the ball, so as to catch it quicker and apply the tag quicker.
After the game while we were upstairs in the office, I overheard the umpire telling the coach that the catcher moving up and doing as he had been instructed would be a "balk on the catcher". He explained that doing so during a pitch from the rubber was an illegal action. He did say that if the pitcher had stepped off the rubber, this was legal.
By no means am I saying I am a baseball rules genius. I primarily officiate basketball and football, so those two sports get most of my rules attention. However, I don't remember ever reading anything about a "balk on the catcher".
Is this just another one of those made up rules that gets passed on from generation to generation (i.e. 'the baserunner always has a right to the basepath')? The umpire in question is one that I respect, but I still don't think he's right.
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Here is the rule: 8.05
If there is a runner, or runners, it is a balk when --
(l) The pitcher, while giving an intentional base on balls, pitches when the catcher is not in the catcher’s box;
So in this situation, you will not see a balk called on the catcher because the pitcher is not giving an intentional base on balls.