Balk

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by 3appleshigh

Well, i know in Canada anyway, an APPEAL is not a play, so he would not have been throwing over for the purposes of making a play.

Snotty Canadian comment aside, ordinarily you're right about an appeal not being a play. But as Rich Ives's post indicates, pro instruction is to treat a missed-base appeal as a play for the purpose of enforcing the balk rule.

I doubt, however, Andy Pettitte knew that.

[3appleshigh]

Actually, it was not a snotty canadian comment, Baseball canada has Defined a play in it's own rules separate to OBR. That is why I said my opinion was based on Canadian rules, As we since have seen MLB has a different stance. In Canada it would have been a Balk. Sorry but bringing up Canada is like Fed or OBR. So put that in your pompous U.S. A$$.

[lawump]

I have not seen the video, so I have no comments on the merits of Mr. Hernandez's balk call.

I'll add:

"If there is a runner, it is not a balk when the in-contact pitcher throws to an unoccupied base to appeal...If the defense insists on appealing even though the appeal cannot be upheld due to some rule, it is not a balk (for throwing to an unoccupied base). However, if there is a runner, a balk could occur for some other reason during this attemp to appeal." J/R Manual, pg. 39 (1997 ed.). (emphasis added)

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by 3appleshigh

Actually, it was not a snotty canadian comment, Baseball canada has Defined a play in it's own rules separate to OBR. That is why I said my opinion was based on Canadian rules, As we since have seen MLB has a different stance. In Canada it would have been a Balk. Sorry but bringing up Canada is like Fed or OBR. So put that in your pompous U.S. A$$.

If the comment wasn't snotty, then I apologize for the misinterpretation.

I looked up Baseball Canada's website (http://baseball.ca), and they do NOT have an independent rule code. The site links to the MLB rules site, and the Microsoft Word document labeled "Canadian Rules as of 2006" is mostly regulations for little boy ball, plus a few interps. That does not constitute it as a distinct rule set: it is, at most, modified OBR.

The definition of "PLAY" that it includes is a standard OBR interp, and consistent with the statement in 7.10(d) that "An appeal is not to be interpreted as a play or an attempted play."

Nothing in "Canadian Rules as of 2006" contradicts the standard OBR interp that throwing to an unoccupied base for an appeal IS a play for the limited purpose of applying 8.05(d), and so is NOT a balk.

[tjones1]

I believe Carl is correct. Angel Hernandez admitted to making a mistake by calling a balk.

[Sal Giaco]

Originally Posted by tjones1

I believe Carl is correct. Angel Hernandez admitted to making a mistake by calling a balk.

Where did you read/hear that AH admitted the mistake??

[tjones1]

Originally Posted by Sal Giaco

Where did you read/hear that AH admitted the mistake??

From the broadcast from tonight's Astros/Cardinals game on the CW out of St. Louis.

[Sal Giaco]

Originally Posted by tjones1

From the broadcast from tonight's Astros/Cardinals game on the CW out of St. Louis.

Pardon my ignorance, but what is the "CW". Thanks again for the info!