Runners on 1st and 3rd. Pitcher steps to 3rd as runner breaks for home. At this point the pitcher is disengaged from his plate as he wheels and throws to home. My partner calls a balk. I called the runner out at home. Is this a legal move? The rules and cases that I've looked at do not give that particular situation. Please advise.

The pitcher has made a LEGAL FEINT to 3rd and has disengaged the pitching plate. He is then a fielder and allowed to make a play on the runner.

Unfortunately, your partner didn't know that.

Thank you for your reply. We discuussed it with both coaches who came out and then nullified the balk call.

Diamondgal,

From your description, I am picturing an in-contact RHP who has made a legal feint to occupied 3B followed by a legal throw to home which was successful in retiring the advancing R3.

There are a number of things which the pitcher <b>may</b> have done which would have been properly balked, but we can't really tell from your description.

Did your partner say <b>why</b> he called a balk?

JM

He didn't think it was legal to feint to 3rd and then go home. He thought they had to go to first afterwards. Of course the coach of the team who the out was called on agreed with my partner that it was illegal. The other coach and I both defended that the pitcher had become an infielder and that made his move legal.

Sounds like the coaches were part of the discussion.
What were they doing there?
They make their pitch for the call they want and you & your partner move away to discuss. Then deliver your ruling.
Coaches have no place in the discussion between umpires.

You surely don't want BOTH coaches in there simultaneously anyway.

If you're going to call a balk, you'd better know exactly what the pitcher violated. "I didn't think he could feint to third and then throw home," will lose you any respect points you've previously earned, regardless of who heard you said it.

Two cliches for the price of one.
 

Two wrongs do not make a right.
You can not unring a bell.

Once balk was called, the ball should have been killed once F1 stopped his delivery of the ball to another fielder. You can not now unbalk and call R3 out.

Don't tell MLB, bluehair - as this exact sitch happened recently.

I remember that discussion. They did unbalk, but at least they did not call anyone out on it. That would be a tough sell.

Balk is not a dead ball though.