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5 replies

Balk, ball, or nothing?

StaffordStafford5,000+ posts

Runner on base. Pitcher starts delivery.  Batter takes one step out of box, holds hand up and says time very loudly.

 

Pitcher stops delivery short, slows down arm, and sort of lets the ball drop out of his hand in front of his body.

 

Ump did not give time. Coaches and fans are yelling balk and ump initially agrees and runner moves over. Pitcher's coach comes out and talks, then the umps confer and send the runner back - no pitch.

 

Ruling was that the batter can't audibly deceive the pitcher into believing time was called with his voice.

 

The wild card that wasn't mentioned was that the pitcher sort of released the ball. So, could it had been called a ball, even though the pitcher abbreviated his montion and dropped the ball in front of his body - is that still considered a pitch?

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N noumpere1,000+ posts
Originally Posted by Swampboy:
They eventually got it right.  It's nothing.  However, if the pitcher had had the presence of mind to continue with his delivery, he'd have been rewarded with a strike call.

By rule any such pitch is automatically a strike in HS.

 

In OBR and NCAA the pitch is judged on its merits (but without a batter, mu judgement of the strike zone might expand).

J JohnF5,000+ posts

For FED it cannot be a balk by rule (happened to me on my field test and I got it right :-))

6-2-4 (d) (1)

 

Also according to the same rule you can have 2 strikes if batter steps out with both feet *and* pitcher delivers the pitch... You get 1 for stepping out and 1 for the pitch. Now try explaining that one to the coach that loses a state championship with his #4 batter up, a 3-1 count before the violation, down by 1 run with the tying run on 3rd and winning run on 2nd....

C chefmike77775,000+ posts
Originally Posted by JohnF:

For FED it cannot be a balk by rule (happened to me on my field test and I got it right :-))

6-2-4 (d) (1)

 

Also according to the same rule you can have 2 strikes if batter steps out with both feet *and* pitcher delivers the pitch... You get 1 for stepping out and 1 for the pitch. Now try explaining that one to the coach that loses a state championship with his #4 batter up, a 3-1 count before the violation, down by 1 run with the tying run on 3rd and winning run on 2nd....

ouch!! better you than me!!! 

M Matt1310,000+ posts
Originally Posted by JohnF:

For FED it cannot be a balk by rule (happened to me on my field test and I got it right :-))

6-2-4 (d) (1)

 

Also according to the same rule you can have 2 strikes if batter steps out with both feet *and* pitcher delivers the pitch... You get 1 for stepping out and 1 for the pitch. Now try explaining that one to the coach that loses a state championship with his #4 batter up, a 3-1 count before the violation, down by 1 run with the tying run on 3rd and winning run on 2nd....

That's why if you're an umpire on a state tournament game, you have the werewithal to kill it as soon as his motion starts.

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