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Originally Posted by bob jenkins
this so-called "fielder's balk" is one of the strangely pervasive myths in youth baseball. IT has no basis in the rules.
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I think this reply may be confusing to the original poster, who may not even be familiar with the term "fielder's balk". So for the use of the original poster, here are some aspects of the rules.
First, all three of the major rule codes (Official Baseball Rules, which probably is the basis for the rules used in Mustangs, NCAA rules, and NFHS, which are used by high schools in most states) require all fielders except the catcher to be in fair territory when the ball is pitched. However, the various rule codes diverge sharply, and I suspect that odd rulings on the field arise because some umpires incorrectly combine aspects of the codes.
OBR require the fielders to have both feet touching fair territory. However, there is no penalty, and in fact umpires are instructed to not take notice of an infraction unless the opposing team complains.
NCAA requires one foot touching fair territory, but only imposes a penalty if the defense gained an advantege. The penalty is to nullify the play.
NFHS requires one foot touching fair territory, and the penalty is an illegal pitch-- which is a ball to the batter if no one is on base, and a balk if there are runners.
So, regarding the specific issue of a fielder straddling the foul line, it cannot be a balk: NFHS is the only rule code which offers a balk penalty, but straddling the line is legal in NFHS (and NCAA).
Can you call a balk on the third baseman? In a manner of speaking, yes, if neither foot touches fair ground, but only in high school rules. Of course, in the stats, any balk is charged to the pitcher.