Balk or No Balk ?

[UMP25]

Originally Posted by DonInKansas

This is the key, if I am reading you correctly. Once your hands come together, you cannot break them unless delivering the pitch. Balk.

You can if you're in the Windup and "momentarily adjusting" the ball. However, in this particular situation, what I might do is use a little preventative umpiring: tell the pitcher to stop it, via directly addressing him or more preferably, sending the catcher out to tell him not to do that, and that technically, it's a balk. Truthfully, who really wants to call a balk in this situation?