Did he balk?

[bossman72]

Pickoff play looms large in Game 1 | raysbaseball.com: News


Also, very tough to call from the camera angle

[UMP25]

Originally Posted by Emperor Ump

I disagree. I do not believe it was a balk.

From the above and the behind replays you can see he is gaining distance to 1st base. Albeit more to the 45' mark, he gained more distance to first than to home (there was very little gained either direction, but more is more). Great no call.

This was a good, legal move, Pena just broke too early and gave the Phillies the opportunity to get him. You will see this move at the HS level too.

What is it with this "45-degree" mark? It's a frickin' myth! It doesn't exist. You guys have been listening to too much Tim McCarver.

The first time one learns to forget this mythical 45-degree reference will be the first time one better understands how to call a balk in these cases anyway.

[tballump]

Thought I read somewhere that if you see clear daylight between the toe of the pivot foot and the heal of the non-pivot or free foot you have the step taken care of with a lefthanded pitcher.

No daylight would mean no step towards first and probably also mean a step towards home. Since there was daylight, it would seem the only question might be, did he "lean" in towards home or did the non-pivot foot pass the rubber in which case the 1st base umpire would have a better view than anyone else.

It also looked like the runner was going with the first movement (gambling) regardless of whether the pitcher was going home or going to 1st, although Madden said he wasn't. The runner just ducked his head when he was called out at second and didn't even question or make even a slight hand motion (they are great at those hand motions) about a possible balk.

[realistic]

Distance and direction are the two things needed when stepping to first. His foot pointed to first base and his foot moved to first base. It doesn't matter how much. TB wanted the call because they got fooled. JM argued that the pitcher's ordinary move (I think he said "read") was not what he did. It doesn't matter. I thought Tim Welke handled it perfectly.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by UMP25

What is it with this "45-degree" mark? It's a frickin' myth! It doesn't exist. You guys have been listening to too much Tim McCarver.

The first time one learns to forget this mythical 45-degree reference will be the first time one better understands how to call a balk in these cases anyway.

Jim Evans perpetrates this "myth" very plainly in his balk video. Good enough for me.

[johnnyg08]

but it's a guideline, not a rule.

[Emperor Ump]

Originally Posted by UMP25

What is it with this "45-degree" mark? It's a frickin' myth! It doesn't exist. You guys have been listening to too much Tim McCarver.

The first time one learns to forget this mythical 45-degree reference will be the first time one better understands how to call a balk in these cases anyway.

This is a training guideline I was taught (Not at JEAPU). It doesn't appear in any rules book but gives a good consistent guideline as to what is gaining distance to 1st vs home.

[Fritz]

was watching this live and thought it was a balk as well, mainly because it looked like the pitcher was starting to go home with his upper body, saw the runner take off, and then dropped his front foot down and as much toward first as he could at the time. And you are right, I see this at the HS level often enough to be ready to make that call. But if you rarely see it, it is pretty easy to let it go since it was a close call.

[SanDiegoSteve]

I saw it over and over and if this is not a step balk, then I've never seen one. His front leg came down almost where it would on a delivery to the plate. Definitely more towards home than first. His entire lower body was going toward home and just his upper torso toward first.

[gotblue?]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

I saw it over and over and if this is not a step balk, then I've never seen one. His front leg came down almost where it would on a delivery to the plate. Definitely more towards home than first. His entire lower body was going toward home and just his upper torso toward first.

"His front leg came down almost where it would on a delivery to the plate."

Not even close. His front foot came down about a foot from where he lifted it. In delivering to the plate, his front foot would have come down probably two feet from the spot where it landed, and much more in the direction of the plate.

For those who use 45 degrees as a guideline, I haven't done it, but I daresay that if you drew in a 45 degree line, his foot would be well to the 1B side of it.

(RedSox fan, but trying to be objective about the officiating)

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by gotblue?

"His front leg came down almost where it would on a delivery to the plate."

Not even close. His front foot came down about a foot from where he lifted it. In delivering to the plate, his front foot would have come down probably two feet from the spot where it landed, and much more in the direction of the plate.

Yes, a foot from where he lifted it, and in the direction of the plate. Two feet from the spot where it would have came down? That sounds pretty close to me, which is what I said, "almost." He most definitely did not gain distance and direction towards first. Unless your a Phillies fan.

[Dave Reed]

Originally Posted by Emperor Ump

This is a training guideline I was taught (Not at JEAPU). It doesn't appear in any rules book but gives a good consistent guideline as to what is gaining distance to 1st vs home.

The 45 degree guideine doesn't appear in the OBR rulebook, but it is in the NCAA book--9-1a: "(6) The pitcher must step directly and gain ground toward a base in an attempt to pick off a runner. “Directly” is interpreted to mean within a 45-degree angle measuring from the pivot foot toward the base the pitcher is throwing to or feinting a throw."

And it shows up in the Fed Casebook: "6.2.4 SITUATION B: With R1 on first, F1 attempts a pickoff while stepping at an angle but to the home plate side. RULING: Balk. To comply with the requirement to “step directly toward,” F1 must step to the first-base side of a 45-degree angle between center of pitcher’s plate and between home and first base. (6-2-4b)