Darian, I get what your saying. Have to call a lot of stuff but depending on the age bracket. We considered it , the regular season as practice for the tournaments. They usually call everything during tournaments.

Thanks. And that is why that clip has been in every intro since the channel started. At least I think it is.

Here's a weird one. I think you can do the spin move to second and not have to throw it

@@keithyoungs9435 correct, because you can legally feint to 2B in all rulesets

@@davej3781 third just had a rule change in the pros

@@keithyoungs9435 yes, feint to 3B is now legal only in NFHS and Little League (upper divisions of course). I think it was 4 or 5 years ago now that OBR made the change, I think ncaa followed quickly

Oh God, please yes. In a game the other day I finally got sick of one parent yelling about how something that the pitcher was doing was a balk (he not coming set with nobody on base), so I finally just went and talked to him between innings to explain it to him. I need to start printing up handouts to give to them.

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mM2UiZZ3vrOReqs.html

I like that way of looking at it better. Much better way to word it. (How you said it.)

This would be an out. The glove is considered a part of the players body and equipment.

@@MJHBaseball that was my take as well. I just couldn't cite a specific rule

I wouldn't deem it illegal. But not sure about the brilliant coaching or not? If the pitcher was in the wind up (which some pitchers do with a runner on 3rd), the straight steal of home on the pitch isn't unheard of. The coach may likely have thought he had a better chance just trying to steal home in this situation than trusting his batter to get a hit. It'd be difficult to make an argument that the coach was trying to intentionally cause the pitcher to balk.

The problem with stepping off is that the runner is looking for that move and easily retreats back to 1B. However, the move the baserunner is looking for is front leg movement. Usually, the runner will go on that movement, mistakenly believing that it's committing the pitcher to throw home. So, lifting and spinning back to unoccupied 2B would be super effective at the younger ages where a stolen 2B is almost a given. The only problem is that I'd bet my paycheck that it would improperly be called a balk.

@@67L48 , with a runner on first , the pitcher MUst disengage the rubber to throw to second. Cause second base is unoccupied.

@@stevehamman4465 That's patently false and you need to read the rules before commenting on them. NFHS Rule 6-2 Art. 4 (b). Or, if you think these kids are playing in the MLB, you could use OBR 8.05(d). You can absolutely throw to unoccupied bases without it being a balk, just as Dave J said in the OP above.

LOL. 2:20 was a scrimmage that occurred when 2 teams showed up to practice on the same field. Due to the 2020 crap, the fields were not reserved or "officially" open, but they made it pretty clear that no one would be kicked out for using them for their intended purpose. So the umpire is someone who had gear in his car and threw it on last minute since teams decided why not just scrimmage. Otherwise, you are right...Jeans is a no, no for umpires.

It’s been that way since 1985.

I can't speak to all rulesets, but as he mentions on the video OBR stipulate that the only way to step off the rubber is to step directly back, so I would be pretty surprised if a spin move was considered stepping off in any rules.

there's no ruleset I'm aware of where a jump-turn/jumpspin is considered disengaging; thus you can't feint to 1B with a jump-turn

Unsure. Hard to see from camera angle. I assume that's the issue the 3rd base coach had with this.

start stop

Windy enough for a fastball to look like a slider.

I've seen a lot of discussion on this video. Regardless of what anyone else says, this will NOT happen in a game I umpire. A pitcher tried it and no runners on so I called time before the pitch and warned him. His coach did the same. If you want to discuss if it's technically a legal pitch, you can check out CloseCallSports. They cover it in detail on that video. I don't let this type of crap happen and if you don't like it, find another umpire.

ah, I sometimes comment while still watching the video, and quoted 6.02(a) Comment immediately prior to discovering MJH quoted it in the video himself.

bonus points for actually citing the rule and comment... usually I'm the big rule cite guy, I was being a little lazy yesterday.

Exactly! Well said. I remember coaching youth baseball and I always wanted to do this with my pitcher. At 12U (non-travel teams), there really weren't any catchers who could throw down to 2B. So, 99% of the time, on the first pitch movement home, the runner steals 2nd. I always thought a spinning pickoff move to 2B would be deadly, but I never had the guts to call it as a coach. I just assumed it would be called a balk and I'd then lose my cool by being the only one on the field who actually knew the rule.

@@67L48 You are right that it will likely get called a balk. After I read this rule and thought through it in depth, I discussed it with several different umpires. They all said they would call it a balk, but all hesitated after I read them the comment to the rule. However, if my memory serves me, I remember every singe one of them saying that they would still call it a balk. One of them justified it with the reasoning that when the pitcher lifted his leg, before the runner broke for the steal, the pitcher was intending to go home because there was no play at the unoccupied base. Therefore, he argued that he was committed to going home with the leg lift. If the pitcher was intending to go to the unoccupied base on leg lift, but before the runner broke for the steal, then the motion was made to an unoccupied base at a time when there was no play at the base. On the other hand, if the runner breaks early (e.g., before leg lift), then the pitcher does not need to step off, and can instead throw directly to the unoccupied base.

so youre ok with it as long as its his normal pitching motion lol?With that logic, as long as he double sets from the 1st pitch, its ok?

@@mptr1783 No it’s a balk. I’m saying thats possibly his natural motion. It’s hard to judge that kind of pitch (being a balk)

No one is saying you call a balk because the pitcher deceived the runner. The issue is, some pitcher moves may technically be a balk, but you don't always call them because he clearly isn't attempting to deceive the runner. The comment is specifically added in the rule book note. Example: a 10U game. A pitcher gets his sign and starts to come up to go into the set position, but he stops half way, looks at the catcher again, then continues to come set. That is a balk. It's not even a question. But this is 10U and the umpire needs to keep in mind, per the rule book note, that he should bear in mind why the rule exists. It's one of the few rules in the rulebook that asks an umpire to know the "spirit of the rule."

@@MJHBaseball Have to agree to disagree on that. The pitcher either violates the balk rule or he doesn't. Try this in you next three games and see what happens: Coach, he tried to deceive the runner, it's a balk! PROTEST!

"He tried to deceive the runner." That is NOT a balk. I just am not catching anything your commenting on. Who would ever make that comment? Where would that even be in the rules? At no point does the video mention that it's a balk to deceive the runner. There is a difference between that and the rule book saying, [from the LL Rule Book] "Umpires should bear in mind that the purpose of the balk is to prevent the pitcher from deliberately deceiving the base runner. If there is doubt in the umpire's mind, the 'intent' of the pitcher should govern. However, certain specifics should be borne in mind....." I am not getting where you're mention of an umpire claiming "It's a balk because he tried to deceive the runner." A balk is a balk... a specific ACTION done by the pitcher. Maybe watch all 3 volumes of our balk test videos and you'll catch on?

@@MJHBaseball I don't know what you're talking about. Putting words in my mouth?