Last week Major League Baseball voted to make the 3rd to 1st move by Right Handed Pitchers a balk starting next season.
Anyone else hoping that this stupid move is outlawed at the High School and College level soon too? Is MLB stepping over the line? Is this move “part of the game”?
BTW – this was a 4 man crew and no one thought that this move was a balk…do you agree?
Free feet goes to the plate, so “that’s a balk”
I love that new rule. It is normally just a waste of time. I hope FED and NCAA follow up with it!!!
Yes it looks like a Balk. The leg was headed towards Home plate. BALK!
Got no problem with the 3rd-to-1st move…the thing is, by this point, EVERYONE should know when it’s coming. As long as they do it legitimately, who cares? And why is it necessarily any worse than a direct move to any other base.
I will say this: late this season, I actually had a third-to-SECOND move that successfully picked off the runner. Beautiful move, perfectly executed, and not a balk.
As to the move shown in the vid, I would have called that a balk. It looks pretty clear that he didn’t make a legitimate move to third before going back to first. That’s the only problem with the 3rd-to-1st move; because everyone knows it’s coming, no one scrutinizes it. Plus, I think too many umpires today are leery of calling balks, anyway, especially with a man at third. Sure, you’re going to get an argument most of the time on them, but hey…that’s what we do.
Not a great angle, but it also looks like a “failure to gain distance” situation…2nd base and HP have to see that one. If I’m at 3rd, I have a balk for the foot going home. Really…there could have been 4 umpires calling this a balk.
The attached vid is a balk, but one of the trickier 3-1 moves I’ve seen.
My question is why make this balk now???
Because a balk is described as trying to deceive the runner and the third to first move is trying to deceive the runner. Its the right ruling and about time they call it. This is a clear cut balk. He had no idea the runner was moving until someone probably told him and it was midway through his delivery in which you can clearly tell he was going to the plate. The only thing I can say is if his delivery prior to that pitch was different for example his kick leg normally goes past his back leg prior coming to the plate then I can understand why its not a balk. So I pretty much need more information on that pitcher before calling that a balk but if that was his first pitch of that day or that was his normal motion prior coming to the plate I have a balk all the way runners advance a base.
Phil – I’d challenge you to look up the definition of a balk. What you’re describing is one of the most commonly mis-quoted statements by umpires and fans of the game. A balk has a lengthy definition yet isn’t ever described as deception.