I know this is a basic question for you guys but I need the help. I am having trouble understanding the balk rules in the NFHS rules book. Must the pitcher always remove his pivot foot from the rubber before attempting a pick off move? I saw a balk called last week when a left handed pitcher stepped directly towards first without removing his pivot foot from the rubber first. Thanks for your help!

Basic Balk Question
 

No...this is not a balk.

6-1-3 allows the pitcher "Before starting his delivery, he shall stand with his entire non-pivot foot in front of a line extending through the front edge of the pitcher's plate and with his entire pivot foot in contact with or directly in front of the pticher's plate. He shall go to the set position without interruption and in one continuous motion. He shall come to a comelte and discernible stop ( a change of direction is not considered an acceptable stop) with the ball in both hands in front of the body and his glove at or below his chin. Natural preliminary mothions such as only one stretch may be made. During these preliminary mothions and during the set position until a delivery motion occurs, the pitcher may turn on his pivot foot or lift it in a jump turn to step with the non-pivot foot toward a base while throwing or feiting as outlined in 6-2-4 and 2-28-5, or he may lift his pivot foot in a step backwward off the pitcher's plate which must be in or partially wiht the 24-inch length of the pitcher's plate...[emphasis added]"

As long as the turn and step towards first is adjudged to be, in fact, "towards" first and he throws the ball to first base, then this is not a balk.

Leo

Thanks for the reply. I guess my primary concern is with the part of the rule that states "the pitcher may TURN on his pivot foot or lift in in a jump turn to step..." Being left handed, there was no turning to be done. He just stepped toward first with his non-pivot foot and threw. Our coach went ballistic. Did he need to turn in some way?

No
 

A right hand pitcher could have done the same to third. There is no balk.

Did the (LH) pitcher's right foot go behind the back edge of the rubber when he brought his knee up?? If so, balk.

Did he have distance and direction?? IOW, if he just lifted his right foot and brought it down in basically the same spot then he didn't have any distance towards first base. Balk.

Did he step directly towards first base?? Imagine yourself walking up the first base line exactly half way between first and home. Now draw am imaginary line from that spot directly to the side of the rubber that is closest to first base. This is not easy to see if you are the PU but did the (LH) pitcher's foot step on the first base side of that line? If not then he didn't have direction and that would be a balk.

There are other things that may have factored into the reason the ump called a balk but these are things that a LH pitcher can easily violate.

The LH (and RH) pitcher need not remove his foot from the rubber when throwing to 1B but he MUST throw if his foot remains on the rubber when throwing to 1B.