OBR 5.11 is it or is it not

[Jim Porter]

Something that needs to be said here. Just because an umpire fails to say, "Play," doesn't mean the ball is never made live. At some point, it becomes a live ball even if the umpire fails to call, "Play."

At what point is that? I don't know. It's not proper mechanics, and I've never had to see if anyone had an interpretation or not. It wouldn't be out of the question, however, that if an umpire under the OBR fails to call, "Play," that play can become live when the pitcher possesses the ball and legally takes position on the rubber. I suppose that's possible. Bad mechanics, poor form, but possible.