Stretch to stop or pause
 

What is the wording in the rule book on making a pitcher come to a pause or stop before throwing home out of the stretch?

There are three main codes for baseball. The following is from the Major League Baseball rulebook, known as OBR. Pony, Legion, Babe Ruth and Little League all use this wording (among others).

The Set Position. Set Position shall be indicated by the pitcher when he stands facing the batter with his pivot foot in contact with, and his other foot in front of, the pitcher’s plate, holding the ball in both hands in front of his body and coming to a complete stop. From such Set Position he may deliver the ball to the batter, throw to a base or step backward off the pitcher’s plate with his pivot foot. Before assuming Set Position, the pitcher may elect to make any natural preliminary motion such as that known as “the stretch.” But if he so elects, he shall come to Set Position before delivering the ball to the batter. After assuming Set Position, any natural motion associated with his delivery of the ball to the batter commits him to the pitch without alteration or interruption.

Preparatory to coming to a set position, the pitcher shall have one hand on his side; from this position he shall go to his set position as defined in Rule 8.01(b) without interruption and in one continuous motion.
The pitcher, following his stretch, must (a) hold the ball in both hands in front of his body and (b) come to a complete stop. This must be enforced. Umpires should watch this closely. Pitchers are constantly attempting to “beat the rule” in their efforts to hold runners on bases and in cases where the pitcher fails to make a complete “stop” called for in the rules, the umpire should immediately call a “Balk.”

Rule 8.01(b) Comment: With no runners on base, the pitcher is not required to come to a complete stop when using the Set Position. If, however, in the umpire’s judgment, a pitcher delivers the ball in a deliberate effort to catch the batter off guard, this delivery shall be deemed a quick pitch, for which the penalty is a ball. See Rule 8.05(e) Comment.

Now, what is the rest of your question?

Rita

All codes say "Complete stop." No pause mentioned in rules of baseball. A pause is not enough. Anything less than a complete stop is unacceptable. Think stop sign in a motor vehicle: If you bump through it or roll through it, they give you a ticket. Your wheels have to come to a complete stop before taking off again. It's a balk in baseball.

Coaches think this goes the other direction -- not only must there be a complete stop, but there must be a pause (of some length) after the complete stop. That is incorrect. As long as I can discern a stop, it's legal.

I, too, think of a pause as longer than a stop. Every so often I'll hear a coach demand a "1 second pause" or some such nonsense.

The most common "no stop" balk I call is the one where he bounces through the stop. Changing direction alone does not constitute a discernible stop.

Must be a football coach doing double duty.

Any more. For a period of time, the NCAA considered a 180* change of direction to be a legal stop.

Ha! Illegal shift! Next time I'll flag it instead of balking it!

Pro ball had it too, I believe. Discernible stop is where it's at now, man!

It's not entirely nonsense because at one time a 1 second pause was required. They knew the rule but not that it had been changed.

Is a leg moving contemporaneously with the hands? Balk. Otherwise, not.

I would give the pitchers on my sons baseball teams a lesson on what they could and could not do when in contact with the pitcher's plate as well as to engage and disengage the pitcher's plate.

When it came to teaching them how to come to a complet and discernable stop, I told them to count to 1 and 7/8's by 9th's. :D

MTD, Sr.

In the Evans Balk video he states something to the effect that as long as upper body stops before the lower body begins it is OK. I feel when the kid blows through the stop it is very noticeable and an easy call. Other than that I will give the benefit to the pitcher.

The one second pause was eliminated in OBR in 1964...48 years ago. it's more likely that are believing a modern day myth than that they "knew the rule but not that that it had been changed."