MLB umpire says that you can balk with a dead ball!

[Jim Porter]

Originally posted by Boone
garth. The play said the plate guy was deceived. He didn't know it. GET IT?

Boone,

You are dragging up an ages-old debate. That is, is the ball in play whenever the umpire says, "Play," or is the ball in play only when the umpire says, "Play," and it is legal for him to do so?

The rules (OBR) require the pitcher to have possession of the ball and be in contact with the rubber in order for the plate umpire to declare, "Play!" So, if the pitcher does not have the ball, and the plate umpire erroneously says, "Play," anyway, has the ball legally been made live? Or is play still dead because the pitcher did not possess the ball?

The concensus among most seems to be that even though the umpire said, "Play," the ball could not legally be put into play so it is still dead. The umpire should correct his error. The ball was not made live legally. R1 should not be called out. No balk should be declared.

Personally, I've always believed the balk should be called, dead ball or not.


[Edited by Jim Porter on Aug 6th, 2002 at 12:11 PM]