Hidden Ball Trick

[truspartan]

Hey guys --- first time poster. A basketball official that I know put me on to this site as a good resource. My background is much less official/professional than probably everyone here -- I'm a dad who has coached my son for the past 6 years because they needed people to coach. I've learned a ton about strategy and rules and continue to learn. My son is now in 13-15 baseball and I coach his team. It's an independent (from Little League) baseball league and we are governed by NFHS rules. But I have a question on the "hidden ball trick"

Here's the situation --- pitcher and infielder meet in infield to "discuss" and switch the ball from the pitcher to the infielder to deceive the runner into thinking the pitcher still has the ball. Runner leads off and infielder with ball tags the runner claiming he's out. However, the pitcher was on the mound (not the rubber) without the ball. Balk or no balk? Does the pitcher have to be on the rubber without the ball? Or just the mound?

I've heard answers both ways and don't have a copy of the NFHS rules to verify. It's a bush-league move at least, but is it against the rules?

[bob jenkins]

In NFHS, it's a balk if the pitcher is within "approximately 5' of the rubber".

In OBR, it's a balk if F1 is "on or astride" the rubber.

In NCAA, it's a balk if F1 is on the dirt.

Note also, that this assumes that the ball remained live during the entire process. If the ball became dead, then this is neither an out nor a balk. Get the ball back to the pitcher and resume play.

[truspartan]

Thanks --- I'd heard mixes of all of those but the 5' from the rubber is the one I had thought.

[jicecone]

Bob, not that it matters for this thread, but isn't NCAA changing or proposing a change on this for 2010 Rulebook. Thought I read this somewhere.

[Forest Ump]

Just remember that it is impossible to have a hidden ball trick following a time out. It doesn't matter if the plate umpire says play. If the pitcher did not have the ball when the PU inadvertently said play then the ball was never legally put in play. No balk, no out, start over.

[johnnyg08]

How the hidden ball trick works many times is that the fielder never actually throws the ball back to F1. During a live ball pick off play or when getting the ball back from the outfield they will keep the ball live and not throw it back to F1...often times faking a throw. If F6 was going to have a conference w/ F1...likely, time would be called and I think Forest Ump is correct in reading post #5.

[DG]

Originally Posted by jicecone

Bob, not that it matters for this thread, but isn't NCAA changing or proposing a change on this for 2010 Rulebook. Thought I read this somewhere.

I think NCAA went to two years between rules changes, thus 2009 rules are 2010 rules. And, the normal college season is best 2 out of 3 from being over. Did you mean the 2011-2012 book?

[jicecone]

What I meant was, I believe NCAA was proposing a change to the rule from on the rise of the mound (dirt) to OBR's on or astride. In the next rulebook to be published.