Can a pitcher do this?

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by STL_UMP

OBR / 12u travel team

Sitch one: R3 / RHP
Pitcher is in the windup, both feet on the rubber, hands together, looking in at the catcher.

Without taking either foot off the rubber, he noticeably shifts his weight from pivot foot to free foot back to pivot foot. Balk?

Sitch 2: R1 / LHP
Pitcher comes set. He steps off with the proper foot before separating his hands, but as he is stepping off, and before his foot is actually on the ground he is throwing to 1st. Kind of falling backwards as he is throwing. Legal?

Sitch 1: Again, I need clarification as to if he made a motion normally associated with his pitch. Did he continue with his windup? Does he do the same thing every time? If you think he was starting his pitching motion and then stopped, that's a balk in the windup position.

Sitch 2: I have never seen this called a balk. The pitcher is required to separate his hands after stepping off the back of the rubber. That just means he can't keep his hands together and pretend he is still set. That is the purpose for requiring the separation. Many lefty's snap throws over while their pivot foot isn't yet on the ground, but it's such a fine line that it isn't a good idea to be "that guy" that calls it.