What Am I Missing?

[AtlUmpSteve]

Originally Posted by Dakota

I think the ASA ruling has the potential for abuse by a clever coach/pitcher (e.g. going around on the windmill, but just not releasing the ball... runner leaves before the ball is released, called out, and a ball on the batter... same result as a pitch-out, caught stealing, but easier).

But, given the distinct lack of such shenanigans, either all the coaches / pitchers have not caught on, or it doesn't work as well in reality as it seems like it might on paper.

To have the opposite ruling would allow even more significant abuses. There are many ways to violate the pitching rule that wouldn't mislead the baserunner; I can't imagine that anyone would consider that means baserunners can leave early without any penalty.

Example: R1 on first, F1 starts her pitching motion with back foot off the pitching plate. R1 leaves base immediately on first motion, and is almost to 2nd base when F1 releases the ball. B2 grounds to F5, F5's throw to F3 pulls F3 off the base. R1 easily reaches 3rd base without a throw.

In this play, the IP is not a dead ball, never becomes a dead ball, and R1 gained an illegal advantage that certainly wouldn't be intended by the rulesmakers. As long as the IP can be ignored as a result of the offense doing better, it can't and shouldn't be used to ignore violations by the offense. R1 does not get to leave the base early because the pitcher violated.

In the singular case of F1 pitching illegally solely to draw a runner off base, the umpires need to use judgment and game management skills to not allow the pitcher to gain an illegal advantage. If we kill a play to keep a batter or coach from creating an illegal pitch (and we do!!) and warn or penalize that action, you need to equally kill the play where the pitcher creates the runner leaving the base early by an illegal motion. Kill that one immediately and award the IP penalty; since you killed the IP, the runner didn't leave early, it never happened in live play (same rationale as the batter can't hit the ball when you killed the play because the runner left early).

Even if they complain/protest that the IP is a DDB, the fact is you killed the play, and can't unring that bell, now can you?