Strange pitching motion: balk or no?

[bob jenkins]

I have it as a balk for "not going directly to the plate" (or whatever the specific wording is).

I think Wendelstadt says it's legal in OBR, but it's still a commitment to the plate so runners would steal on it all day long.

[ozzy6900]

Is he really stepping back with the free foot or is he just not taking a stride (as most pitchers do)? If he is truly stepping back, then I agree with Bob, that's a balk.

[dash_riprock]

He stepped towards 1st and didn't throw there. Balk.

[Rich Ives]

He took two steps, not "a" step. Balk.

[Toth]

In Cal Ripen legal pitch. Babe Ruth and up, balk.

[BigUmp56]

Originally Posted by Toth

In Cal Ripen legal pitch. Babe Ruth and up, balk.

Doesn't Cal Ripken have the modified diamond 70/50 and allow lead offs for certain ages now?

Tim.

[umpjim]

OBR at the MLB level allows Cliff Lee to do this:

Cliff Lee Delivers A Pitch - YouTube

In fact their is no restriction in OBR on free foot placement in the windup. I don't know if the youth leagues that use OBR have the same wording. In any case they will have to stop doing it to pitch in HS and College.

[BigUmp56]

Originally Posted by umpjim

OBR at the MLB level allows Cliff Lee to do this:

Cliff Lee Delivers A Pitch - YouTube

In fact their is no restriction in OBR on free foot placement in the windup. I don't know if the youth leagues that use OBR have the same wording. In any case they will have to stop doing it to pitch in HS and College.

I'm pretty sure the discussion here was about doing this from the stretch, Jim.

Tim.

[jTheUmp]

Thanks, umpjim... it looked exactly like Cliff Lee's motion in the video below (only this kid was right-handed).

So I should've balked him then... (this league is based on FED rules with modifications: no pitcher's mound, 75' bases, 56' pitcher's plate distance, etc)...

I didn't, for 2 reasons:
1) wasn't sure if it was a balk or not.. had never seen it before and didn't want to tell a kid he couldn't do something that he was actually allowed to do.
2) The other team was having a field day stealing bases on him because of his motion. I figured, if this pitcher is ok with allowing 2 stolen bases for every runner, who am I to argue?