Pickoff to 2nd - Balk?

[cshs81]

Originally Posted by cbfoulds

It's not a "legal pickoff move" until he steps toward 2d [in this case].
If he steps toward the plate & does not pitch, of course it's a balk.

All that said, I'm with the other responder(s?): I doubt that it is physically possible to make the move you initially described - without putting the non-pivot foot back on the ground, that is. So: what is this post, really?: a "just suppose..."/ "stump-the-umpire" TWP, or an actual game-situation conundrum?

Real world : Fuentes of the Rockies did it yesterday against the Reds. Tough to explain - not the usual "raise the leg and then spin" to 2nd move.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by cshs81

Real world : Fuentes of the Rockies did it yesterday against the Reds. Tough to explain - not the usual "raise the leg and then spin" to 2nd move.

"Sometimes you just have to umpire."

The balk rules don't specify every twitch that a pitcher might make. If the umpire judges that F1 mad a move to the plate, then it's a balk. If he didn't, then it's a legal move.

[UMP25]

Perhaps we ought to think of it this way...

When a pitcher wishes to throw to a base from the rubber, he must step toward that base. If the pitcher in the OP's situation here threw to second for a pickoff attempt but did not step toward second, it's a balk. BTW, even though the rules specify that a pitcher must step "ahead of the throw," it's generally accepted to let pitchers step and throw simultaneously.

I believe that if we approach the original situation here using the throw requires a step line of thinking, it might be easier to understand.