Babe Ruth Pitching Rule

[AtlUmpSteve]

I don't know squat about Babe Ruth softball, but in every ruleset I call, that is a legal motion. One of the first things worth learning is that a coach complaining has little relevance to the legality of any pitching motion.

Since a pitch doesn't begin until the hands are brought together and then separated, what she does prior to that point is completely legal. The only things I can think of that a pitcher can do before separating the hands that would be illegal are 1) applying a foreign substance to the ball, 2) stepping on the pitching plate with hands together, or 3) stepping on the pitching plate and bringing the hands together without pausing to take or simulate taking the signal. And, in 2) & 3), the pitcher can still legally disengage and restart prior to the illegal pitch. The illegal pitch in those cases shouldn't be called until the pitcher separates.