Pitcher pulsing foot
 

Last night I got a text asking me a NFHS baseball rule and thought I would run it by the board to see how others call this as well.

A pitcher from the stretch would start to bring his hands together and continually pulse his foot until his hands came to a complete stop in the set position. They wanted to know if this was legal.

Under NCAA rules, I would not call this a balk. NCAA requires (9-1-b) that the pitcher shall come to the set position using a continuous hand motion before pitching to the batter.

However, under FED rules, I do call this a balk. The pitcher is not coming to the set position without interruption and in one continuous motion (6-1-3). Additionally, this move is obviously trying to keep the runner off balance in an attempt to simulate the start of a pitch or a throw to a base (2-28-5). I have not seen this for years at the high school level but I'm sure like all things, it's coming downhill from MLB and NCAA.

How does everyone else handle this differently? Any thoughts?

-Josh

Not a balk.

I'm having a hard time envisioning what "pulses his foot" means.

It it just a nervous tick the player makes with his foot?

If he's lifting the foot, balk him. If he's buckling his knee toward a base, balk him.


Tim.

It must be like wiggling your ears but, the result is the same.:confused: actually I have never seen it either.

I once worked with a guy that balked a kid twice for lifting his pivot foot up off the pitching plate and setting it back down to pitch, in the windup. Maybe about a 1/2 inch. After throwing out the coach and making a complete A** of hisself, I told him to stand in the field and get the calls right on the basesw, I will call the Balks.

On most of the fields I work it's almost impossible for a pitcher to NOT lift his pivot foot and set it back down as he steps into the hole in front of the rubber. I know exactly the motion you're talking about.

Tim.

Let it go!

I've seen a couple of MLB pitchers who, while going to the Set, will pick up their free foot slightly and put it back down repeatedly (about three to five times) before they finally come to the required stop. I think that's what the OP is describing.

I don't see how that really violates anything. It's not like they continue to do it after the hands come to the stop. And I really don't see how that simulates the start of a pitch or throw to a base.

Pitchers are given a little latitude to do quirky stuff when the go from the Stretch to the Set. I recall John Rocker tapping the ball against the inside of his glove as his hands came down in front of his body. Mike Mussina used to take a step towards home and lean forward with his upper body before he brought his foot back towards the pitcher's plate and stood erect. Nobody ever said anything about those moves under OBR.

As for FED, who knows. They balk the gorilla arm swing while the pitcher looks in for the sign, so they may feel this is illegal as well.

Things pulsing on the field, OMG, the horror.

Mariano Rivera comes to mind with several toe taps on the way to coming set. I haven't seen him lately so I don't know if he still does it.

I can understand why they wouldn't call this in an MLB game, Manny. But in a game played by HS aged players, I think lifting and re-setting the free foot should probably be balked. Runners at that level are taught to key on a number of things the pitcher does as they're leading off. The free foot being a primary focus.


Tim.

Yes, but keying on the tapping foot AS the pitcher is coming set isn't one of them.

Or Mike Adams

Complete and discernible stop doesn't apply to just the hands. If he stops his hands, and his foot, or other body parts is still moving, he can move his hands again.

Hideki Nomo used to completely stop before he delivered the pitch home from the windup. Technically a balk.

Mussina would actually come to a stop with hands together, and bent completely over at the waist. He would then raise his upper torso up, and stop again............MLB umpires don't nitpick the usual unusual moves.

Unless there were no runners, and that's when he pitched from the windup. He probably would've been called for a balk if there was someone on base, I'm guessing.