Quote:
Originally posted by His High Holiness
This MLB ruling indicates that if the ball is illegally put in play by the umpire, all subsequent action is nullified until the ball is LEGALLY put in play.
Peter
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No, that ruling indicates that any PLAY is nullified. Except for the purposes of 7.10, a balk is
not a play.
There's a difference between an umpire who errs by not checking to see how many players are in fair territory before declaring play live, and an umpire who is out-and-out deceived by a pitcher (using illegal tactics) into putting the ball in play. The former is the umpire's fault and requires a do-over. The latter is a balk.