Bending the Rules?

[bob jenkins]

Originally posted by harmbu
This has been discussed in our area. I have not seen it happen, but apparently a couple of coaches have taught their pitchers this move. FED Rules, runner on first with a right-handed pitcher. The pitcher comes set and very quickly raises his back foot (to about the height of his knee) and then steps back off the rubber and attempts to pick the runner off of first. I have had some umpires tell me that this is legal because he does step back off the rubber. I disagree with them for two reasons. Number one is that it is done in an attempt to deceive the runner. Number two is because the rule states that the pitcher must clearly step back. Quickly raising the foot to the level of the knee and then stepping off is not clearly back to me.

What are some of your opinions?

1) "Attempting to deceive the runner" is not a balk -- "ILLEGALLY deceiving" the runner is.

2) Did the pitcher "lift his pivot foot in a step backward off the pitcher's plate?" (6-1-3) -- it looks to me like he did. What specific part of 6-1 or 6-2-4 do you think the pitcher violated?

And, what runner is fooled by this?