Calling the illegal pitch

[Dakota]

Originally posted by bluejay
Here is the answer. As soon as the pitcher performs an illegal act such as going to the mouth without wiping, getting dirt or chalk in her hand and going to the ball without wiping or stepping on the rubber with her hands together she has performed an illigal act and it should be called then and awards be made. The pitcher should not be allowed to pitch the ball if it is a situation where your IP call can stop her. If, as in the case of the leap or crow hop the pitch cannot be stopped, you then let the pitch go (while giving the delayed ball signal) and rule after play stops.

Jay Garner
Deputy UIC, Metro Fort Worth ASA

Fine, Jay, except all of your examples are stand-alone illegal acts; that is to say, there is nothing the pitcher can do from that point forward to legalize what she has done. She has crossed a point of no return.

However, many (most) of the illegal preliminaries can be "legalized" by backing off and starting over. So long as a pitch is not delivered, there is no illegal pitch due to these acts because, as I said, you can't call an illegal pitch until the pitcher has crossed some point of no return.