Pickoffs from the windup?

[David Emerling]

Originally posted by BayouUmp
Here's the maneuver: http://www.eteamz.com/HoustonHS/vide...up_pickoff.mov

The 1st move this pitcher made was a step back with his free foot. Once he did that...he's committed to a pitch. Reason, for a RHP in Windup position, the first step in his natural delivery is always a step back with the left foot.

Under OBR, if you concede that a pitcher can attempt a pickoff while in the windup position, then what would you accept as a legal "first move?"

If nothing else, you should accept that the free foot should go directly toward the base at which the pickoff is intended. What else could the pitcher do?

You are reading too much into the rule verbiage.

If the free foot executed what could be interpreted as a rocker step then that would require the pitcher to deliver to the batter. If he uses the appearance of doing a rocker movement as a prelude to a pickoff - that would be a balk because he is making a "pitching motion" and is failing to complete the motion by delivering to the batter.

No reasonable person would interpret what this pitcher is doing as executing a "rocker step." It is clearly a jump maneuver in an attempt to pickoff a runner.

BOTH his feet are aligning for the throw. The pivot foot happens to fall in the area directly in front of the rubber (not that it matters) and the free foot is clearly moving toward 2nd (that matters!). Perfectly legal.

I think any umpire that would balk this maneuver is simply booger picking.

Even the umpire that called it a balk gave, as his ONLY reason for it being a balk, that the pitcher simply failed to step off prior to executing the maneuver - applying the FED rule instead of the OBR rule. This was only after he hemmed and hawed about some other stuff as it slowly dawned on him the monumental mistake he had made.

The BU never made a comment other than the fact that he called the runner OUT at 2nd.

David Emerling
Memphis, TN