the balk...

[jumpmaster]

I am looking for answers from guys that call ball where the coach is hired specifically to coach baseball, this may be large school high school in addition to college ball...

The balk is the subject of more discussions than almost anything I can think of. This subject has been on my mind lately and I am looking for the how it is called vs. how it is written at the upper amateur levels of baseball.

FED 6-2-4a - a balk...any feinting toward the batter or first base...

OBR 8.05b - it is a balk when the pitcher, while touching his plate, feints a throw to first base and fails to complete the throw.

NCAA 9-3-3a - a balk shall be for...any feinting motion...toward first base when it is occupied by a runner.

Webster's - feint - a misleading movement...

My question - if F1, after coming set, slowly turns his shoulder to enable him to see B1, is this a balk? In our association, it is. My problem is that this is not necessarily a feint. If the pitcher, does a quick look, it is without a doubt, a balk.

What say you? Is this a balk or not?

[Gee]

The call boils down to umpire judgment and different umpires judge it differently. There is no need to turn your shoulder to see first, just open up your stance a tad.

OBR is more specific as it includes the word 'throw' even though a simple turn under MLB interps is not allowed and could be construed as a feint. I only do OBR and allow a slow turn but not a fast one that drives the runner back.

Again, it depends on the umpire.

[brost]

This shoulder turning is not called a balk because it is considered faking to 1st.
But after the pitcher has come to a complete stop (in the set position), i don't want to see any body movement (except the head) unless he is pitching, picking off or stepping off.

[Sal Giaco]

It is my understanding that in college and OBR, the front shoulder must remain perfectly still. Generally speaking, I have rarely called a balk for turning the shoulder (I just don't see pitchers taking advantage of that as much). The move they seem to be teaching at the college level is "buckling the knee". I believe the baserunner locks in on the pitcher's front knee to see the first movement towards home. Pitcher's are taught to slightly flex their knee followed by a quick throw to first base.

I believe your question pertained to higher levels of amateur baseball. Gee brought up a good point that there really is no need to turn the shoulder to see first base because if that was a concern, the pitcher could just "open" up his set position. Therefore, don't give the pitcher "an inch" because he will inevitably, look to exploit that advantage. Moreover, if you allow some movement, then you put the pressure on yourself by having to decide how much of a turn and how fast is acceptable. Again, the higher the level of ball, the less this should become an issue.

[bob jenkins]

Originally posted by jumpmaster
FED 6-2-4a - a balk...any feinting toward the batter or first base...

My question - if F1, after coming set, slowly turns his shoulder to enable him to see B1, is this a balk? In our association, it is.

You also need to consider these paraphrased sentences from 6-1 (I think):

FED 2004 -- Any turning of the shoulders is a balk.

FED 2005 -- Any turning of the shoulders in the wind-up or after coming set is a balk.