FED Going to Mouth

[Lapopez]

Originally Posted by waltjp

Lapopez, let me reword your situation a bit:

F1, while touching the pitcher's plate in the set position with runners on base he places his hand on his mouth and distinctly wipes off his pitching hand prior to touching the ball. separates his hands to adjust his cap.

Is this a balk and why?

So what you are asking is that the pitcher is not only pitching from the set position, he has already come to a stop with both hands together, and then separates his hands to adjust his cap. The fact that he has already come to a stop is the key point and my original question did not assume this. Even if the pitcher hadn't come to a stop, as I understand it, the key point is if the pitcher touches his mouth while engaged with the rubber, even before the stop, it is a balk with runners on base. To answer your question, any separation after the stop for anything other than a pitch or pick off I would call a balk since the motion would indicate either of those two things.