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Originally Posted by Southside
First, I have searched this topic and read several threads on it, and I still have lingering uncertainty.
The basic question is whether a balk can occur with a dead ball. I am aware of the consensus in previous threads that it cannot. Essentially the line of reasoning there, which seems fairly plausible to me, is that the ball can't be live until the pitcher toes the rubber with the ball, thus no balk if the pitcher hasn't done so since the last time the ball became dead. However, one of the ways to balk (though I have never hear of it being called) is to "unnecessarily delay the game." It seems that this is likely to occur in a dead ball situation.
The other, and more solid, reason I am somewhat unsatisfied with the explanation that a balk can't occur until the ball has become live due to a pitcher getting on the rubber with the ball is that there are some other situations in which runners could be awarded bases due to things that occur during dead ball. For example, under rule 8.03, a "ball" is to be called if the pitcher delays more than 20 seconds (with the bases empty). This could be ball 4, which suggests that 5.02 does not universally prevent advance by base runners due to action during a dead ball. Also 8.02a, which dictates a "ball" be called for several illegal actions, seems to be applicable to dead ball situations.
Essentially, rule 8.02 seems to potentially contradict the part of 5.02 that bars runs from being scored during a dead ball unless the reason occurred during a live ball. So my question is if rule 8.02 can lead to entirely dead-ball advances by runners, then is there a reason that rule 8.05 (balk) applies only to live-ball situations?
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You have all you need right above. Rules of Baseball are nebulous, if you are looking for concrete interps here, you will get on this Forum, one of three responses.
1) The such and such interp unequivacably says..
2) No it doesn't it allows for...
3) Hell if I know and no one else does for sure (unless mandated)
I suggest you take #3, those that make a science out of basebal rules interps are very religious. Think New Testament, even Christ and His Apostles couldn't get on the same page.