Overturned Balk
 

I don't think I have ever seen a balk overturned but here it is.

Baseball Video Highlights & Clips | TB@CWS: Run comes off board after umps reverse call - Video | MLB.com: Multimedia

Ooooh, I think the balk call was justified.

On the fake-to-third/fake-to-first move, the pitcher should disengage the rubber while he makes the initial step to third base so that, as the announcer said, he "just becomes another fielder" when he fakes to first. But this F1 never really disengaged. In fact, it looked to me like he executed a jab-step move to first after the fake to third, and a jab-step is considered a move from the rubber.

I don't know what the rest of the crew told U1 to convince him the call should be reversed. IMO, he made the right call.

As luck would have it, I just watched the Jim Evans balk video last night.
I don't think it was a balk.

Elaborate, please.

What rule, specifically, was broken? I see no balk here either.

The closest thing to a balk might be that he didn't gain (enough?) ground toward third on the first move. However, I don't think that is what U1 called, given the timing of the call. Looks like he's balking the move to first - and at the point of the move to 1st, the pivot foot has already come off.

PS - can't be a jabstep ... he's already an infielder after not throwing to third.

Once completing the fake to 3B he completed the requirement to step off, throw(fake) or pitch. The "pitch" sequence is over.

This is why MLB is discussing a change in the rule.

But when he made his fake to third, he never disengaged his pivot foot from the rubber. His subsequent move to first looked just like a jab-step, because the pivot foot disengaged simultaneously as he was making the move to first. At least that's how it looked to me.

From 8.05(c): "However, if, with runners on first and third, the pitcher, while in contact with the rubber, steps toward third and then immediately and in practically the same motion “wheels” and throws to first base, it is obviously an attempt to deceive the runner at first base, and in such a move it is practically impossible to step directly toward first base before the throw to first base, and such a move shall be called a balk. Of course, if the pitcher steps off the rubber and then makes such a move, it is not a balk.

This pither, IMO, did not step off the rubber before making the move to first. He started his move to first with a jab-step, which comes simultaneously with the move.

The back foot clearly disengages the rubber before the feint to 1st. I think what makes the play look odd to some people is that during the feint to 3rd, there is no accompanting arm action. According to Jim Evans, this is not a requirement. An odd-looking play from the mound does not always equal a balk.

Next year this will be a balk in MLB if I read correctly. So use it while you can.

I honestly have no idea what you're looking at. Look at where his foot is at 1:04 and 1:05 of the video. Pretty standard disengagement there.

If it was standard, why did U1 balk it? :p

Seriously, it looked way too much like a jab-step. Most fake-to-third/fake-to-first moves I've seen have F1 disengaging the pivot foot during the step to third base, well before they turn to go to first.

You can't jap step if you've already stepped to another base to feint a pickoff move. A jab step is to first base and is used in a regular pickoff at first when you have an R1 only.

This is not a balk. How much more do you want him to disengage it before he turns to first base? There isn't a specified distance that his pivot foot must go away from the rubber. He just has to disengage, which he does.

Well.. he was wrong, wasn't he?

I'm trying hard to find "it looks like a jabstep" or even "it looks different than I'm used to" in my rulebook, and can't find it.

He CLEARLY disengages at 1:04-05 in the video. And not just by a little bit - his foot moves toward third by about half the length of the rubber. If you don't see that, I can't help you.

I can see from U1's perspective where he might not have seen F1's pivot foot move to third (and break contact with the rubber). The move was directly away from U1 and by less than "several feet" so it might have been difficult to see the distance. PU and U2 would have a good view, and that's why it was corrected.

U1 just finished backing up and then tried to peek around F3 . I don't he saw the pitcher disengage the plate and it seemed as though it was a hesitant call.

His doubt is what led to the conference.

No balk.

There was no balk here and I do not understand why all of a sudden, the 3rd to 1st move is so difficult for people and umpires to deal with. It seems that I woke up one morning and the world turned stupid! It's a legal move designed to deceive the runner at 1st and getting an out.

That's a Balk
 

The pitcher cannot step onto the rubber with both hands together. So you guys are saying that if the pitcher steps off the front of the rubber with his hands together, it's not a balk. He steps off the rubber and does not legally feint to third. He is still ready to pitch when he wheels around to first base. That's a balk. Also, F3 isn't holding the runner on 1B, so holding the ball after making such a move is a balk!

Comment Clarification: (j) The pitcher, after coming to a legal pitching position, removes one hand from the ball other than in an actual pitch, or in throwing to a base. Once legally positioned or set, the pitcher must keep both hands (gloved and bare) together until he pitches, attempts a pick-off or other play or steps off the rubber.

Excellent example: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=14523967

Why is this a balk? http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=22128067

So we're just making up our own rules now....wonderful.

Is it that or fans don't like seeing it? Also, it helps to stop some of the deliberate delay. I'm just guessing if these may be reasons for getting rid of it. That and the fact that 99% of them are a waste of time b/c the pitchers give it away long before they even attempt it.

I count six sentences above. Only the first is true, but it's not relevant to the play, and it's not a balk to step onto the rubber with the hands together.

Thank you for being gentle to the poster. I hope he gets it.

I think Chad thought he fainted a throw to first and did not see the pitcher faint to 3rd prior to.....

I thing saumps is saying is that a pitcher cannot, from the set, straddle the rubber, put his hands together, then engage the rubber, then separate his hands.

Distance and direction?
 

I agree he steps from the far edge of the rubber on the first base side to the middle of the rubber. But I don't think that he has legally disengaged the rubber. Has he gained any distance toward 3B if his foot clearly lands in front of the rubber?

His back foot is closer to 3B after he turns to fake a throw back to first base. You'll notice it passed the rear edge of the rubber on the third base side. Shouldn't the pitcher move his lead foot off the edge of the rubber to gain distance and direction before his throw or feint?

No. No.

MLB 8.01c
"At any time during the pitcher’s preliminary movements and until his natural
pitching motion commits him to the pitch, he may throw to any base provided he steps directly toward such base before making the throw."

As long as he steps and gains distance, then disengages the plate, it doesn't matter where he ends up. It does not stipulate that the pitcher needs to clear the end of the plate.

Actually, GA, I can see where the fans have a hard time dealing with this but they still thing a base award is the base you were going to plus one.

What surprises me is how umpires, who should be able to break this move down on the spot and rule correctly, can't even understand when F1 is set, on or off the rubber -- sigh.... I was right. I woke up one morning and the world got stupid while I slept.

No kidding. I can not believe some of the posts I am reading here. This is not a balk.

Perhaps I don't understand what a jab-step entails.

Suppose this pitcher never made that initial move to third. Wouldn't his disengagement of his pivot foot toward third while he turns, steps and throws to first be a jab-step?

Step off, step back or back off?
 

I think you nailed him simulating a pickoff to third, but the other folks here seem to think he legally disengaged from the rubber. They claim Jim Evans says it legal, so it's legal, right?

Why can't he feint to third? What is illegal about that?

It's legal because he disengages before throwing to first base. Can you show me where his foot was still on the rubber while he was throwing to first?

His foot wasn't on the rubber, I agree with you there.

But when a pitcher executes a jab-step (at least with my understanding of what the jab-step entails), by authoritative interpretation it is considered a move while in-contact with the rubber, even though the pivot foot does disengage prior to the throw. A throw into DBT after a jab-step is a one-base award, and a failure to throw to first after executing a jab-step move is considered a balk under 8.05(b).

This pitcher's move to first looked exactly like a jab-step to me. The only difference was that he first faked a throw to third. I'm just trying to understand why a feint to first on a jab-step is a balk, but a feint to first that looks exactly like a jab-step is not a balk if there's an intermediate fake to third.

Because it's not possible to jab step after you've feinted to another base. It's not a jab step anymore.

I see what you're saying, but the consequence of a jab-step is disengaging... yes, the throw that comes (or doesn't) is considered as being from the rubber ... but that doesn't imply that when you're done, you are still, somehow, engaged with the rubber. Are you really thinking that to throw to first after a jab-step to third, the pitcher has to re-disengage his foot? That seems rather odd.

Breaking contact?
 

Manny, search engine results from another thread

Baseball Discussion Group - 1st - 3rd pickoff Q

Excellent point on breaking contact before throw to 1st that is not required on spin move to 2nd. The following comment supports our viewpoint on the balk, in regards to both distance and direction requirements.

BRD #362. PBUC Staff: During the step to third, the pitcher must leave the pitcher's plate. If he does not, and turns to step towards first, that is a balk.

It's hard to find video of legal 3rd to 1st moves that never work, except for Wakefield's balk video. However, Granderson and Beltran were both caught in legal 3rd to 1st moves while attempting to steal 2nd. Both pitchers clearly leave the pitcher' plate prior to wheeling toward 1st base, feinting there, and throwing to 2nd ahead of the the runner.

And in the video pertaining to this thread, the pitcher clearly steps towards thirds, steps off the plate, wheels and steps and throws to first.