Frozen Leg Balk

[Fritz]

Need some help resolving a discussion my partner and I had last night.

LHP, R1, OBR; pitcher lifts his front leg straight up and stops, holding for a couple of counts to freeze the runner, then continues toward home (good balance skills). I'm BU and immediately call Balk. DC comes out to ask for an explanation and I state the pitcher must make a continuous motion in delivering a pitch. He says it can't be a balk because he teaches all his LHPs that move as a way to hold the runner close (I'm still looking for that exception in the rule book, the one that cancels a balk if the coach teaches his players an illegal move!).

Anyway, he goes back and game progresses without incident. After the game, my partner and I debate why even do the frozen leg manuever if by doing so, it forces you to step toward the base to pick off the runner. Seems like as soon as the runner sees the stop, he should immediately head back to the bag ahead of the throw and wait for the balk call when the pitcher goes ahead and throws home.

We went through both FED and OBR rule books but couldn't find a specific reference to the freeze move, just the citations about an uninterrupted move associated with a delivery of the pitch.

Comments/assistance?

[RPatrino]

That's a balk. If the coach teaches his pitchers to not come set, would that negate the balk? LOL

[LMan]

Its a balk if ALL his body parts come to a halt. Its not as long as some limb is moving during the delivery.

Now, if he really froze like a statue, you have a balk.

[jdmara]

Balk...What a great argument from the coach HA!

-Josh

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

I really get a laugh from coaches who teach their players to do things illegally. My experience is with that is in basketball though. I remember watching the home team warm up before a preseason varsity scrimmage. Team H's center was being taught to knock the defender's arm out of the way so she could recieve the entry pass from the point guard. I told my partners I wanted to make the first call on H's center because I knew that H's head coach could be a real !@#$%^&*, . And boy was he when I made that first foul call against his center for knocking the defender's arm out of the way.

MTD, Sr.

[jicecone]

Fritz, continous motion is the key here. This is simlar to the hanging knee.

I once had a short stop throwing infield dirt at R2 and when I requested it to stop, the coach came out and said show me where this can't be done , it happens all the time in the PROS (??) and encouraged the player not to listen to me.

I told the coach that when his player got to the pros he could do whatever they allowed but if it happens again in the game both him and the player could discuss how legal it was in the rules , on their way home.

Some people like to learn the hard way.

[DG]

Originally Posted by Fritz

DC comes out to ask for an explanation and I state the pitcher must make a continuous motion in delivering a pitch. He says it can't be a balk because he teaches all his LHPs that move as a way to hold the runner close (I'm still looking for that exception in the rule book, the one that cancels a balk if the coach teaches his players an illegal move!).

In the words of a good friend of mine when confronted with this argument: "Coach, if you are going to teach your pitcher to cheat, don't get upset when I catch him"