"Balks while Stealing Home"
 

Balks, a very complex topic. It is also difficult for the average parent and coach to understand and know all of the calls. For me I've been around baseball for many years and understand the basic calls, (turning of the shoulders while set, not throwing to first in pick-offs) but I'm having a difficult time with the pitchers "Natural Movement" (for example, the pitchers wind-up should be the same from start to finish, once he starts, he must finish his natural motion through his wind-up, but he can speed it up) (Yes/No).

Situation:
Runner on 3rd, a right handed pitcher is on the rubber in the Wind-Up position. The pitcher starts his wind-up by stepping with his free foot (left). On that step the runner steals home. The pitcher notices the runner while in his first step back and from this position steps towards home and delivers the ball changing his natural motion. Every other time the same pitcher would raise his knee and then deliver the ball home. The runner was called out and no balk was called.

Question:
If the pitcher did not continue his natural motion through his Wind-Up is it a balk yes or no? and why?

Thanks
Matt

A pitcher does not need to have the same motion every time. Assuming the pitch was otherwise legal, then the call was correct.

Hi Matt, welcome to the forum and thanks for your question. I can see that Bob beat me to the punch while I was composing my answer, none the less...

Here is rule 8.01(a) from the Official Baseball Rules:

"The Windup Position. The pitcher shall stand facing the batter, his pivot foot incontact with the pitcher’s plate and the other foot free. From this position any natural movement associated with his delivery of the ball to the batter commits him to the pitch without interruption or alteration. He shall not raise either foot from the ground, except that in his actual delivery of the ball to the batter, he may take one step backward, and one step forward with his free foot."

Natural movement only applies in identifying when the pitch starts. There is no requirement that the pitcher completes a "natural" or "normal" windup, only that once he starts a natural motion to pitch, he is committed to pitch.

In other words, once the pitcher begins his motion from the windup, he can hurry it up and make what essentially looks like a regular throw to the plate. This is still considered a pitch and the batter is still entitled to hit it.

Thank you again and please feel free to stick around.

Don't get hung up on "natural motion". Instead, learn what is illegal. If it's not illegal, it's legal. Lots of "odd" motions are, in fact, legal. And there's nothing stating that a pitcher's motion from pitch to pitch must be the same. In fact, if there was such a rule, it would take away one of the tools very good pitchers use to hold runners on.

Deception, by itself, is not illegal. As long as you don't do one of the many things proscribed as NOT legal... it's not illegal.

I like the way you put this post. Just last night, in a rivalry game that was 5-1 in the sixth, the losing team had the bases loaded and one out. A relief pitcher came in, with an unusual (I think he was amped up and nervous) pre-set motion. Basically, the kid had a kind of "shoulder shimmy" BEFORE coming set as he was lowering his hands. Once he came set, he didn't have any extra movement. However, the FANS were yelling the usual "that's a balk" and "don't you know what a balk is, blue?" garbage. Their coach didn't say a word, though, because he's actuallly pretty knowledgable and knew there wasn't an issue.

The strange routine caused the uninformed to scream, yell, and sound like a bunch of idiots, but there was nothing illegal about what the pitcher was doing in his pre-set motion. He certainly wasn't deceiving anybody!