Balk?
 

R3, pitcher in wind-up position with both feet on rubber, hands together, takes sign. R3 breaks for home. Pitcher steps straight with free foot while maintaining contact with the rubber with pivot foot. Meanwhile, batter only has one foot in the box. Should this be a "quick pitch" and penalized as a balk? What if the batter was in the box ready to hit?

TwoBits,

As described, this would indeed be a "quick pitch" Balk.

If the batter had been reasonably set at the time the pitcher threw, this would be a legal pitch, which the batter would be free to "offer" at, or not, as he saw fit.

Though this may not have been the pitcher's "normal" delivery from the windup, as described there was nothing "illegal" about this more "hurried" delivery, other than the fact that the batter was not reasonably set to receive the pitch.

Under FED rules, the ball would have been immediately dead on the balk and the R3 awarded home. Under OBR, asuming the pitcher actually delivered the ball, the ball would, for the time being, remain "in play" and the batter would have had the opportunity to try to recover and offer at it if he chose.

JM

My question would be was the batter set in the box at any time while the pitcher was in the windup. If he was, and swung out of the box without getting time granted this is not a quick pitch. The batter cannot cause a pitcher to balk by stepping out of the box once he and the battery are set.



Tim.

What's the pitcher doing taking a sign before the batter's in the box? Unless Tim's right and he stepped out mid-windup.

Where in the rules does it say the pitcher has to wait for the batter to be in the box prior to taking his sign? I don't believe that is a rule. It only says that the pitcher shall take his sign from the catcher from on the rubber, and the only penalty is to tell the pitcher "don't do that." The pitcher is not allowed to take his sign and then quickly get on the rubber and pitch. That is the reason for his taking signs on the rubber.

Steve,

Not presuming to speak for Tim (or LakeErieUmp), but I don't believe they were suggesting there was anything illegal about the pitcher's actions - just that it would be a little bit "odd" for the pitcher to be on the rubber and have already taken his signs when the batter had not yet taken his position in the box. After Tim's post, I also realized that it would be a little "odd" for the R3 to have taken off for home prior to the batter taking his position in the box.

It's certainly possible it happened that way. In my experience, it's more likely that the batter had already taken his position and then (perhaps wanting to double check with his base coach that a "suicide squeeze" or "straight steal" of home was ON), stepped his front foot out of the box to "retake" signs. If that's what happened, I find Tim's comments "on point", and I would concur with what he said.

Since none of us were there, we won't know unless & until TwoBits provides some clarification.

JM

Oh....that's very different......never mind.http://scd.mm-c1.yimg.com/image/978095027:)