NF Balk rule

[Delaware Blue]

Originally Posted by Illini_Ref

I cannot find one, yet that is the catch-all we hear all of the time.

That's a catch-all for people who don't understand the rules. Pitchers legally deceive runners all the time. If they deceive the runner and violated one of the balk rules, then it's a balk because they violated the rule.

You may be thinking of the comment under Rule 8.05 in the OBR: Umpires should bear in mind that the purpose of the balk rule is to prevent the pitcher from deliberately deceiving the base runner. If there is doubt in the umpire’s mind, the "intent" of the pitcher should govern.

I would not rely on that comment to support a balk call. Most of the illegal deceitful acts are already covered as balks elsewhere in the rules - straddling the rubber without the ball, mimicking the pitching motion when not in contact, feinting a throw to first base, etc.