Game today - Calling Balkologists...

[TussAgee11]

Just graduated from school last weekend, so I am a few weeks late to the season up here. Today worked the dish in a Sr. Babe game. Seemed like the last 2 innings I could not get an easy pitch - every 2-2 or 3-2 count in a big spot were all just nipping the zone or just missing. I think I got every single one right, probably about 4 or 5 close ones in big spots in a close game. So that felt good, and I feel "into" the season now.

My question is this... OBR rules but I'm interested in FED as well. R2, RHP lifts leg and turns towards second. As his free foot is coming down, the pitcher sort of lost balance. His pivot foot stumbled - it looked to me that it came up off the rubber and then landed back where it was. All this happened BEFORE the free foot stepped directly to 2nd, although it was clear that a pickoff attempt was coming.

I balked him.

I did this because on the spot, it was one of those things that just didn't look right. But then I started thinking what rule the pitcher actually broke...

In OBR, 8.05 seems like a bit of a stretch.

8.05 - If there is a runner, or runners, it is a balk when—
(c) The pitcher, while touching his plate, fails to step directly toward a base before throwing to that base;

The free foot did go directly to the base, so a literal reading of the rule has no balk. But if we read a bit more abstractly, he didn't step directly because he jumped up with his pivot foot before doing so.

Any balkologists have a clarifying J/R play to chime in with? Or, perhaps I'm just reading to much into the rule, and the letter of the law has nothing to do with this play.

[TussAgee11]

Let me go ahead and clarify some more.

8.03 c doesn't apply at all, because the pitcher actually never threw the ball. He was ready to run at the runner.

So now we have a disengaging problem, pivot foot left the rubber and then returned to it. His hands did break, as he ended up fainting to the base before beginning to run at the runner.

8.02 b says

"From such Set Position he may deliver the ball to the batter, throw to a base or step backward off the pitcher’s plate with his pivot foot"

Somebody please straighten my head out on this, its starting to go in circles.

[mbyron]

I'm having trouble picturing the move. Was it like an ugly "jump step" or "jab step"? If so, that would be a precedent for not balking it.

[TussAgee11]

I wouldn't call it any of those mbyron. It was like he lost balance cause he realized he wanted to run at the runner, not throw. As he lost that balance, the pivot foot got off the ground and returned to the ground in the same exact spot before the free foot came down towards 2nd.

It was a very strange play, which is why I went with balk. It looked very very wrong... anyone who was watching closely and knows baseball would have said "how could that not be a balk." But maybe it wasn't wrong at all.

[UmpJM]

Tuss,

First, congratulations on your graduation!

As to your question....

You were there and I wasn't, but this sounds to me like an "awkward but probably legal" feint of a pick-off to 2B.

As long as he gained "distance and direction" towards 2B and never came to a complete stop, he's probably OK. If he starts with his free foot, I don't much care what he does with his pivot foot.

Again, you were there and I wasn't.

How did your "sell" go?

JM

[TussAgee11]

Originally Posted by UmpJM (nee CoachJM)

Tuss,

First, congratulations on your graduation!

As to your question....

You were there and I wasn't, but this sounds to me like an "awkward but probably legal" feint of a pick-off to 2B.

As long as he gained "distance and direction" towards 2B and never came to a complete stop, he's probably OK. If he starts with his free foot, I don't much care what he does with his pivot foot.

Again, you were there and I wasn't.

How did your "sell" go?

JM

The pitcher wasn't too happy, I told him it was a balk because all that pivot foot stuff happened before his step was done. He argued that he had disengaged already... but seemed to know that he lost his balance. We had a short talk, we didn't come to a concensus but I think we understood each others point.

Coach was a daddy who was clueless. Came out in between innings and asked nicely what the deal was. I BS'd a bit, said that his stumble with the right foot wasn't legal, but his step towards 2nd was fine.

It should be noted that if I didn't have a balk, it probably would have been a tougher sell to the other coach, who was much more of a jack***.

[David B]

Originally Posted by UmpJM (nee CoachJM)

Tuss,

First, congratulations on your graduation!

As to your question....

You were there and I wasn't, but this sounds to me like an "awkward but probably legal" feint of a pick-off to 2B.

As long as he gained "distance and direction" towards 2B and never came to a complete stop, he's probably OK. If he starts with his free foot, I don't much care what he does with his pivot foot.

Again, you were there and I wasn't.

How did your "sell" go?

JM

Probably you could get away with the balk, but as JM said, probably was legal. I know it's old, but its really really hard to balk to second base.

Just about anything is legal

But, since it was so unusual, it made it easy to make the call.

Thanks
David

[DG]

Originally Posted by David B

I know it's old, but its really really hard to balk to second base.

Just about anything is legal

I called one once.

I was wrong.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by DG

I called one once.

I was wrong.

I thought I was wrong once.

I was mistaken.

[ozzy6900]

Normally, F1 cannot balk to 2nd base. However, in the realm of Youth Baseball, if it really looks ugly, you can get away with calling the balk!

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by UmpJM (nee CoachJM)

As long as he gained "distance and direction" towards 2B and never came to a complete stop, he's probably OK. If he starts with his free foot, I don't much care what he does with his pivot foot.

This is the direction I was going. Once the free foot goes behind the rubber and his shoulders turn, the possibility of deception is gone. Remember that 8.05 includes a provision to the effect that, if in doubt about a balk, assess whether the move is intended to be deceptive. (Notice that this provision is restricted and not a general criterion of balks.)

Here it is, from the very end of 8.05:

Originally Posted by Rule 8.05

Rule 8.05 Comment: 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.

So if you judged that, however ugly, the move was accidental and not intended to be deceptive (the falling, the goofy pivot foot stuff), provided it didn't violate any other condition of 8.05 you could rule that it was not a balk.

All that said, I agree further with JM: you were there and we weren't. I'm not arguing that you blew the call, I'm trying to provide resources for dealing with these "ugly" moves in the future.

And, as for dealing with the jaqass coach who wants a balk called: a simple "he stepped to the base, coach," will suffice. If he comes out to discuss it, I'll agree that it was an ugly step.

[TussAgee11]

Thanks guys... I'll file it away as not a gross miss, but a miss none the less. Try to have that perfect game next time...

[ManInBlue]

HS Varsity - R2. F1 didn't step, step off etc he just did a "shoulder jerk" toward 2B. I didn't call it b/c he didn't have to throw to 2B - did I miss it? Did he have to step toward the base anyway or disengage?

For the record HC went ape $%#& b/c I didn't call it.

[UmpJM]

ManInBlue,

Sure sounds like a balk to me.

For a pitcher who has engaged the rubber to make a legal feint to 2B or 3B, a "direct step" is required.

That's a balk!

JM

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by ManInBlue

HS Varsity - R2. F1 didn't step, step off etc he just did a "shoulder jerk" toward 2B. I didn't call it b/c he didn't have to throw to 2B - did I miss it? Did he have to step toward the base anyway or disengage?

For the record HC went ape $%#& b/c I didn't call it.

Oooh...back under the bus, dude!