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Lefty vs Righty
The first movement for a pickoff attempt must be a step toward the base. Period. In the case of a lefty lifting his foot, he's already pointed toward 1st; that's to his advantage obviously. A "righty" has that same advantage toward 3rd base. A lifting of the leg straight up by a right-hander is his first move, and hence the balk. His turning of the foot toward 1st is then the 2nd move.
If I'm not mistaken, NCAA kind of evens the playing field in that respect. Once a pitcher bends his knee, he's committed to pitch. The same's not true for OBR or FED.
Jerry
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