Balk
Encyclopedia
In baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

, a pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

 can commit a number of illegal motions or actions that constitute a balk. In games played under the Official Baseball Rules, a balk results in a dead ball or delayed dead ball. In certain other circumstances, a balk may be wholly or partially disregarded. Under other rule sets, notably in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 under the National Federation of High Schools (Fed or Federation) Baseball Rules, a balk results in an immediate dead ball. In the event a balk is enforced, the pitch is generally (but not always) nullified, each runner is awarded one base, and the batter (generally) remains at bat, and with the previous count. The balk rule in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 was introduced in 1898.

Balk actions

A pitcher is restricted to a certain set of motions and one of two basic pitching position
Pitching position
In baseball, there are two legal pitching positions: the windup, and the set. Each type of pitching position has its strengths and weaknesses. Compared to the set, the windup takes a relatively slower execution, so therefore is better suited for situations in which there are no baserunners, or when...

s before and during a pitch; if these regulations are violated with one or more runners on base, a balk is called.

With a runner on base and the pitcher on or astride (with one leg on each side of) the rubber, it is a balk when the pitcher:
  • switches his pitching position from the windup to the set (or vice versa) without properly disengaging the rubber;
  • while on the rubber, makes a motion associated with his pitch and does not complete the delivery;
  • when pitching from the set position, fails to make a complete stop with his hands together before beginning to pitch;
  • throws from the mound to a base without stepping toward (gaining distance in the direction of) that base;
  • throws or feints a throw from the rubber to an unoccupied base, unless a play is imminent;
  • steps or feints from the rubber to first base without completing the throw;
  • delivers a quick return
    Quick pitch
    A quick pitch in baseball occurs when the pitcher throws a pitch to home plate before the batter has had a chance to fully ready himself. It is illegal in all forms of baseball, and it has various penalties, depending on the situation: if there is no runner on base, the pitch is called a ball, but...

    , a pitch thrown right after receiving the ball back, with intent to catch the batter off-guard;
  • drops the ball while on the rubber, even if by accident, if the ball does not subsequently cross a foul line;
  • while intentionally walking a batter, releases a pitch while the catcher
    Catcher
    Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...

     is out of his box with one or both feet (rarely enforced);
  • unnecessarily delays the game (rarely enforced);
  • pitches while facing away from the batter;
  • after bringing his hands together on the rubber, separates them except in making a pitch or a throw;
  • stands on or astride the rubber without the ball, or mimics a pitch without the ball; or
  • throws to first when the first baseman
    First baseman
    First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...

    , because of his distance from the base, is unable to make a play on the runner there.


The pitcher's acts of spitting
Spitball
A spitball is an illegal baseball pitch in which the ball has been altered by the application of saliva, petroleum jelly, or some other foreign substance....

 on the ball, defacing or altering the ball, rubbing the ball on the clothing or body, or applying a foreign substance to the ball are not balks.

Clarifications

A pitcher is allowed to feint toward third (or second) base, and then turn and throw or feint to first base if his pivot foot disengages the rubber after his initial feint. This is called the "fake to third, throw to first" play.

If no runners are on base and the pitcher commits an otherwise balkable action, there generally is no penalty. However, delivering a quick return or pitching while off the rubber (which constitute balks when runners are on base) results in a ball being called with the bases empty. If the pitcher should commit an act confusing to the batter with nobody on, or if he stops his delivery or otherwise violates because the batter steps out or otherwise acts confusingly, time is called and the play restarted without penalty (whether or not runners are on base). If a pitcher repeatedly commits illegal actions without runners on base, he may be subject to ejection for persistently violating the rules.

If, during an attempt to execute the "hidden ball trick
Hidden ball trick
In the game of baseball, the hidden ball trick is a play in which the runner is deceived about the location of the ball, in an effort to have him tagged out.-Execution:...

" (where the defensive team deceives the runner(s) as to the ball's location while the play is live), the pitcher stands on the rubber prior to the fielder revealing the ball and applying the tag, the runner is not called out. Instead, it is a balk, with all runners on base being awarded their next base.

Common misconceptions

One common misconception is that only pitchers can commit balks. A "catcher's balk" occurs when the catcher does not stay in the catcher's box until the pitcher delivers the ball. The rule is rarely enforced, though.

While the purpose of the balk rule is to prevent the pitcher from deliberately befuddling the base runner (per comment to Rule 8.05, OBR), or occasionally the batter, there are many legal ways for pitchers to deceive runners: pickoff
Pickoff
In baseball, a pickoff is an act by a pitcher or a catcher, throwing a live ball to a fielder so that the fielder can tag out a baserunner who is either leading off or about to begin stealing the next base....

 attempts, look-backs, and speeding up the pitching motion all are efforts at deception. Only actions that violate the balk rules, however, may be penalized with a balk.

Another misconception is that when in the set position, a pitcher must step off the rubber before attempting a pick-off or appeal play. Rule 8.01(c) allows a pitcher to pitch, throw to an occupied base, or step off while in contact with the rubber. The pitcher may also throw to an unoccupied base if appealing that a runner missed a base or left too early on a fly ball.

Major League balk records

  • The Major League record for career balks is held by Steve Carlton
    Steve Carlton
    Steven Norman Carlton , nicknamed "Lefty", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1965-1988 for six different teams in his career, but it is his time with the Philadelphia Phillies where he received his greatest acclaim as a professional and won four Cy Young Awards...

     with 90.
  • The Major League record in a single season is held by Dave Stewart, who had 16 balks in 1988 while pitching for the Oakland Athletics
    Oakland Athletics
    The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....

    .
  • The Major League record for the most balks in one game is held by Bob Shaw
    Bob Shaw (baseball)
    Robert John Shaw was a Major League Baseball pitcher.His career lasted a decade, and he pitched for the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Athletics, Milwaukee Braves, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, and Chicago Cubs. He won 18 games with the American League pennant-winning White...

    , who had five balks in a May 4, 1963 game while pitching for the Milwaukee Braves against the Chicago Cubs
    Chicago Cubs
    The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...

    . Four of the five balks came when the Cubs' Billy Williams was on base: one in the first inning, then three more in the third inning. In the latter frame, Shaw walked Williams, and then proceeded to balk him to second, third and home. Shaw's balks were blamed on his difficulty adjusting to a then-new point of emphasis in the rules: umpires were told to strictly enforce the section of the balk rule that required the pitcher, when going from the stretch to the set position, to come to a complete stop with his hands together for one full second before pitching. The rule had been virtually ignored before.

Famous balks

  • Perhaps the most famous balk came in the 1961 All-Star Game
    1961 Major League Baseball All-Star Game (first game)
    The first 1961 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was played in Candlestick Park in San Francisco on July 11, 1961. The National League scored two runs in the bottom of the tenth inning to win 5–4. Stu Miller was the winning pitcher and Hoyt Wilhelm was charged with the loss.-References:...

    , when strong winds at Candlestick Park caused pitcher Stu Miller
    Stu Miller
    Stuart Leonard Miller , is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Cardinals , Philadelphia Phillies , New York & San Francisco Giants , Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves...

    to sway erratically and be called for a balk. This story is often exaggerated in re-tellings of baseball lore, some having Miller being literally blown off the pitching mound.

External links

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