Quote:
Originally posted by mikek
Rule clarification:
A pitcher is standing on the mound, but is in no way in any part of his delivery to home plate.
There is a runner on 3rd base and it is a full count on the hitter.
Before the pitcher makes any part of his delivery towards home plate, the runner takes off from third in an attempt to just outright steal home. After the runner is well on his way, the pitcher without stepping off throws to the plate which is not considered a balk but also not knowing whether the pitcher is simply throwing a pitch to the batter or is attempting to throw out the runner attempting to steal. The runner beats the throw home before the ball arives, but the ball also crosses the plate within the confines of the strike zone and could be considered strike 3 to the batter which just stands there.
Does the run count since the play took place before there was any action by the pitcher in delivering a pitch to the plate, or would this still be construed as a pitch to the plate and then be the 3rd out and the run does not count?
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This post was originally made in April of this year at a time that I was not visiting all that many umpire boards or websites. I came across the post via a search on Google. I called a balk about two weeks ago on an attempted steal of home. I told the pitcher who had considerably accelerated his delivery (but did pitch from the windup position) that this was a
Quick Pitch Last night I got out my Balk Videos
Pitching Regulations and Balks by Jim Evans (1999) as well as
See a balk call a balk by Al Kaplan (1995) with then Brewers pitching coach Don Rowe. It seems to me that the pitcher can accelerate his delivery to the plate as long as he does not Quick Pitch. I am not an umpire who calls all the balks that I see but I realize that this one is key. Anyone with any clarification on how to handle the steal of home as it pertains to the pitcher's delivery? Jim/NYC