I was in discussion with an ex-pitching coach of Texas Tech last night who had never heard of the "hands separating" as being a standard for the start of a pitch. (However, he was also not aware that it was legal to step and throw to a base from the windup stance under NCAA and OBR rules). We seemed to disagree on the following:
(THE BELOW IS ALL BASED UPON THE SET STANCE AND SET POSITON)
Evans states in the JEA 8.05(a):
A pitcher may use a motion common to both delivery of the pitch and delivery of a pick-off throw in some cases and this shall not be deemed a balk.
Certainly this satisfies the fact that a LHF1 is allowed to raise his free leg and then choose his motion to step either to the plate or to 1B---the raising of the leg being common to both actions of delivery and pickoff. However, I'd hardly think that separating the hands would be considered a common move unless done so after committing his step to 1B---otherwise, the pitcher is committed to delivering the pitch.
The BRD states that the time of pitch occurs when the pitcher separates his hands. While I cannot find this as current wording in any rulebook, I can verify from memory that it was once specifically stated by Fed. Additionally, I'd agree that it is applied today as a standard for judgment.
This leads me to ask, what if the free leg of the LHF1 raises, and prior to committing to step to either the base or to the plate, the pitcher separates his hands? Has the pitch been initiated, thus requiring the pitcher to now deliver to the plate since he has not yet started his step toward 1B? Or can the pitcher, after separating his hands, still choose to step toward 1B since his leg action (but not his step) initiated prior to the separating of the hands?
Obviously a pitcher can't make a pickoff throw without separating his hands, but I was of the belief that he could not separate his hands prior to his commitment to stepping
toward a base, or if he did, he was then committed to delivering the pitch.
Can a pitcher from the set position separate his hands before initiating his step
toward 1B (but after raising his leg) and still make a legal pickoff attempt to 1B?
Freix