Balk, Balk Yells the Coach!!!

[Bfair]

Greg, while it sounds as if you are describing a legal step to the base, you must keep in mind that the pitcher, after legally stepping from the rubber toward a base, is not required to throw to any base EXCEPT first base.

Therefore, in your first example, F1 MUST throw to first base. If F3 was not at or close enough to first base to be considered as capable of attempting a realistic play on the runner after receiving the throw (attempt a tag), it would be a balk. It seems that F1 has thrown to the fielder, not to the base to which he is "required" to throw. Correct?

In your second example of turning to 2nd base and throwing to F6, this IS NOT a balk as F1 is not even required to throw to that base or to anyone, right??? Therefore, as long as his step to 2nd was legal and he doesn't then throw (in the same motion) to a base other than 2nd, no balk can occur.

Hope that will help to clarify something you may have misinterpreted earlier. Two facets to consider here, the legal step and the requirement (if any) to throw to the base.

Freix