Reply to "Against leg-lifting LHPs: You can instruct (or demand) that your R1s go first-move, but many won't"

@Consultant posted:

Watch the front right knee if it breaks the plane to the left, the pitcher must throw home or it is a "balk"

Bob

To be clear - the plane you describe, is the plane of the back edge of the rubber... correct?

Many coaches have the misunderstanding that it is the plane of the left knee, or the plane of the front edge of the rubber.  And it must be the entire foot.  Not the right knee knee.   As someone mentioned, with the BU positioned behind the mound in a 2 man system, that is very hard to call.  A good LHP can get away with a lot of borderline moves at the lower levels.

6:2:4:F

ART. 4 . . . Balk. If there is a runner or runners, any of the following acts by a pitcher while he is touching the pitcher’s plate is a balk:

f. failing to pitch to the batter when the entire non-pivot foot passes behind the perpendicular plane of the back edge of the pitcher’s plate, except when feinting or throwing to second base in an attempt to put out a runner.