Illegal Pitch? What is Your Opinion? (Video)

[JefferMC]

Originally Posted by DaveASA/FED

If I remember correctly once the front foot lands the drag foot can come up off the ground again, right?

I can't find anything in the rules to prohibit it.

So if the front foot is planted and then they push off the back foot as they are releasing the ball how is that gaining an illegal advantage? What makes that illegal? 1) Both feet aren't in the air at the same time, so no leap. 2) Pitch was started when hands were seperated on pitching plate, so no crow hop. 3) Front foot is where it originally landed when she took her stride off the pitching plate so how is she gaining an advantage that is in conflict with the rules?

6-1.2c "... Pushing off with the pivot foot from a place other than the pitcher's plate is illegal."


So, whether it is a "crow hop" or not, if you push off from somewhere other than the pitcher's plate, it's an illegal pitch. At this point I think we would be well served to dispense with the terms "crow hop" and "leap" since there are many arguments about what constitutes which term and stick with these two statements:

Pivot foot must only push off from the pitcher's plate.
Pivot foot must remain in contact with the plate or the ground (or the plane of the ground when the inevitible hole gets there).