Signs of Rubber

[mcrowder]

Originally Posted by BigGuy

From 6-1-1
He shall take his sign from the catcher with his pivot foot in contact with the pitcher's plate.

From 6-2-5
ART. 5... It is also a balk if a runner or runners are on base and the pitcher, while he is not touching the pitcher's plate, makes any movement naturally associated with his pitch, or he places his feet on or astride the pitcher's plate

Since taking the signal must be from the pitchers plate, to not do so constitutes an action naturally associated with the pitch without the pivot foot on the rubber. How do you catch it - sometimes just a nod of the head or shaking the head side to side to change a sign. A lot of guys don't call it for any number of reasons - it's a technical violation, etc. Some won't call it because they don't know the rule. If you call it a a frosh game you'll probably get an earful from the coach - "this isn't varsity, you know" If you don't call it maybe the other team will chirp in and say - "hey, isn't that a balk?"

As before, it seems to be you that doesn't know the rule.

The rule does not say that it's a balk (or IP) for taking a sign from the catcher while off the rubber. I'll give you a billion dollars if you can find a rule that says that.

It DOES say that you must take signs from the rubber - so if a pitcher takes signs from off the rubber, and then takes them (or appears to be taking them - which is what is UNIVERSALLY taught in all clinics (probably with the sole exception of YOUR association, which teaches some other bizarre rule-ignoring that you've mentioned in other threads)) from the rubber, he has done what he is required to do.

Hang around here for a while, you'll learn something.