Mendoza Balk?

[Carl Childress]

Originally posted by Dave Davies
"Take a few steps and stop". I am unfamiliar with that phrase.

I have the same manuals that you do and I'm sure we've read every passage pertinent to last Evenings play.

I don't necessarily disagree with you. If that happened to me, I would certainly have been Surprised and probably would have balked him.

Tha balk rule, however, is vague as to when the pitch is delivered. I take it to mean that the pitcher was never on the rubber in the first place. There is no mention of the pitcher stepping back off the rubber and THEN pitching.

That's why I brought up 8.01e.

The OBR, JEA & Roder are vague on this. The MLB Manual and the PBUC manual don't even mention it. I would certainly like Childress to comment on this.

I am going to present this play at our next meeting. I will give them both sides of thought and let them decide how to handle it. A lot of beer has been won and lost over interpretations such as this.

Dave
******

Dave:

I think one point that's been overlooked is this: As far as I could see/hear, the umpires did not call a balk until the Yankee bench erupted. That tells me the four umps in the infield were also surprised.

It's a balk by rule -- and by judgment.

The language is all technical, but what it means is: The pitcher can't pretend to pitch whether on or off the rubber. Mendoza was on -- legally and then off -- legally.

But the ball he delivered did not look like a pitch. It actually resembled the ball a pitcher throws when he's asking for a replacement. (Was that what Francona argued? grin) It was a looping "pitch" coming in well above Posada's (the batter) head.

Someone in the thread said Mendoza had a brain freeze. I agree.

Some umpire finally called: "Time! Balk! You -- home!" Then, as is their wont now, they huddled and discussed whether it was a "simulated pitch" or a "throw."

"Simulated pitch" obviously won (the balk stood) because no one could come up with a legitimate reason for Mendoza to "throw" home.

On the other hand, I can't come up with any advantage he might have derived from his action.

If I had to come up with a "local" interpretation, I would say: It's a balk if the pitcher legally disengages the rubber and "throws" home unless he is making a play.

BTW: Let's not forget 8.02c, which the umpires could have invoked: They would then have left Matusi on third, warned Mendoza, and ejected Mel Stottlemeyer (the assistant coach - grin).

Dave: I hear your clinic with Jim Evans was a great success. Jeff Staudinger is writing a series about it for the paid site, and I'll ask Jim about his impressions during the live portion of my interview.

It's good to see you in the Forum.

[Edited by Carl Childress on Oct 20th, 2004 at 07:23 AM]