Thread: Overturned Balk
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Old Fri Oct 05, 2012, 12:26pm
MD Longhorn MD Longhorn is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Manny A View Post
His foot wasn't on the rubber, I agree with you there.

But when a pitcher executes a jab-step (at least with my understanding of what the jab-step entails), by authoritative interpretation it is considered a move while in-contact with the rubber, even though the pivot foot does disengage prior to the throw. A throw into DBT after a jab-step is a one-base award, and a failure to throw to first after executing a jab-step move is considered a balk under 8.05(b).

This pitcher's move to first looked exactly like a jab-step to me. The only difference was that he first faked a throw to third. I'm just trying to understand why a feint to first on a jab-step is a balk, but a feint to first that looks exactly like a jab-step is not a balk if there's an intermediate fake to third.
I see what you're saying, but the consequence of a jab-step is disengaging... yes, the throw that comes (or doesn't) is considered as being from the rubber ... but that doesn't imply that when you're done, you are still, somehow, engaged with the rubber. Are you really thinking that to throw to first after a jab-step to third, the pitcher has to re-disengage his foot? That seems rather odd.
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