Major League Baseball Set to Outlaw the third to first move next year

[UMP25]

The big question is--will the NCAA follow in their footsteps, especially since the NCAA rules, which come out every 2 years, are up for reissue beginning with the 2013 season.

Major League Baseball's Rules Playing Committee, with the blessing of MLB Executives and MLB Umpires, has approved a significant rule change for the 2013 season. Vetoed by the Players Association for implementation this year, the rule change takes effect next season, barring any last minute changes. The change to be made? The step to third, fake throw, then move to first by a right-handed pitcher. Often referred to as the "third to first move" or "fake to third then first move," it's a move that occurs quite often, almost always unsuccessfully, and inevitably leads to everyone yelling, "Balk!", even though it's not a balk. Well, beginning with the 2013 season, Official Baseball Rules will be modified to require a pitcher to step off the rubber when faking a throw to a base. The wording in the change doesn't specifically refer to the third to first move; rather, the wording explains that a pitcher must step off the rubber when stepping to a base without throwing to that base. Currently, a pitcher is required to throw to a base only if he is stepping toward first base while on the rubber. He's allowed to step to second or third without throwing. This apparently will be changed beginning next year.

This change was approved for the 2012 season; however, the Players Association vetoed the change, saying that "time was needed to study it." Pursuant to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the change then automatically takes effect the following year. (Baseball is the only sport where the players must approve any rule change that is to take effect within the same year/season.)

As the first sentence in this post asks--will the NCAA follow suit with this change? My guess is it will have to, especially since NCAA pitching rules tend to be a bit tighter or stricter than OBR's pitching rules. Time will tell. We'll know more by next winter, I'm sure.

[ozzy6900]

To address the remark of the LHP's "we can't do that", RHP can't do the sneak moves to 1st that LHP's do.

In his day, Andy Petitt probably had the nastiest move to 1st in MLB. No RHP could duplicate that.

[UMP25]

Indeed. Lefties have always gotten away with a little more, IMHO, especially when a 2-man crew is working the game, but it even happens in 3-man and 4-man games.

[SanDiegoSteve]

I don't blame the PA for vetoing it this year. It's a stupid rule change. Too bad they can't veto it every year.

[UMP25]

It does make me wonder--why the need to change the rule? What necessitated this change? Did some very influential owner who has a lot of pull have one of his team players picked off by this move?

[Publius]

Wow.

Does this mean in 2013 IIPTBTSB?

[dash_riprock]

Originally Posted by Publius

Wow.

Does this mean in 2013 IIPTBTSB?

You would think so. It also means it will be much easier to steal 3rd base. I hope they reconsider this.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by dash_riprock

You would think so. It also means it will be much easier to steal 3rd base. I hope they reconsider this.

According to ESPN, the rule change affects only a feint to 3B, and is aimed at eliminating only the 3-to-1 move. I don't see that it will apply at 2B at all.

"Under the new wording, a pitcher could not fake to third unless he first stepped off the rubber."

Full story:
Major League Baseball poised to pick off 1st-and-3rd trick move - ESPN

[Eastshire]

Originally Posted by mbyron

According to ESPN, the rule change affects only a feint to 3B, and is aimed at eliminating only the 3-to-1 move. I don't see that it will apply at 2B at all.

"Under the new wording, a pitcher could not fake to third unless he first stepped off the rubber."

Full story:
Major League Baseball poised to pick off 1st-and-3rd trick move - ESPN

That article doesn't give us the proposed wording though. If the OP is correct about the proposed wording that a pitcher must step off before faking to a base (and that it doesn't specifically mention third), then it will apply to 2B.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by Eastshire

That article doesn't give us the proposed wording though. If the OP is correct about the proposed wording that a pitcher must step off before faking to a base (and that it doesn't specifically mention third), then it will apply to 2B.

The OP didn't cite a source. The ESPN article I cited, plus this one and this one from the AP, all state that only feints to 3B are affected by the proposed new rule.

If you'd like to research the matter more thoroughly, be my guest.

[Eastshire]

Originally Posted by mbyron

The OP didn't cite a source. The ESPN article I cited, plus this one and this one from the AP, all state that only feints to 3B are affected by the proposed new rule.

If you'd like to research the matter more thoroughly, be my guest.

None of those articles say only feints to 3B are affected. They just say feints to 3B are affected. Beyond that, none of them give us the proposed rule. You'll excuse me for not assuming that sports journalists, who notoriously don't understand rules, have completely fathomed this one.

[Tim C]

See I thought this was really easy when I first read everything and now some of you are confusing the issue.

The reason it is being eliminated is based on there is only one "legal" way to disengage from the pitcher's plate: to be legal F1 must "step back" to disengage.

On the Fake to 3rd and throw to 1st the disengagement comes illegally by dragging the pivot foot off the front edge of the plate.

It seemed awfully easy to understand.

IT IS NOT ABOUT THE FEINT . . . it is simply about legally disengaging.

Rules in sports are really a lot like the laws in our country. Many laws are interpreted so many times the actual wording is not always followed the interps are . . .

Same thing happens with sporting rules.

The fake-to-third fake was established in college baseball far before any major league pitcher used it.

Another "illegal" F1 motion is the "jab step" that was invented by Greg Maddox (or SanDiegoSteve). The quick step with the pivot foot toward 3rd (kinda) is just as illegal as the play we are talking about HOWEVER through "tradition" we allow the move.

Don't over think things.

T

[Rich]

Originally Posted by Tim C

See I thought this was really easy when I first read everything and now some of you are confusing the issue.

The reason it is being eliminated is based on there is only one "legal" way to disengage from the pitcher's plate: to be legal F1 must "step back" to disengage.

On the Fake to 3rd and throw to 1st the disengagement comes illegally by dragging the pivot foot off the front edge of the plate.

It comes because the pitcher has legally faked to third base and stepped to the base as part of the fake.

Quite frankly, this is a solution in search of a problem.

[Steven Tyler]

Why don't the correct all the errors, before they go changing a rule.

The way the rule is written in OBR, gorilla arm is illegal also.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by Tim C

Another "illegal" F1 motion is the "jab step" that was invented by Greg Maddox (or SanDiegoSteve).

Yes, It was I. It was right around the time when Al Gore invented the Internet.