OBR Legal Windup Options

[johnnyg08]

Reading through the MLBUM I saw some clarifications on the windup that I don't recall seeing in the OBR. I'd like to read your thoughts on one of them in particular:

On (2), am I reading it correctly that minus a quick pitch scenario, the pitcher is permitted to keep his hands separate and deliver a legal pitch to the batter.

Or am I misreading it? 

Thanks! 

[johnnyg08]

[Jimurray]

20 minutes ago, johnnyg08 said:

Reading through the MLBUM I saw some clarifications on the windup that I don't recall seeing in the OBR. I'd like to read your thoughts on one of them in particular:

On (2), am I reading it correctly that minus a quick pitch scenario, the pitcher is permitted to keep his hands separate and deliver a legal pitch to the batter.

Or am I misreading it? 

Thanks! 

With hands apart he can start a windup or he can just rare back and throw. Strop and others do that occasionally. Sometimes they get dinged for QP and sometimes not. MLB has eliminated the question of what a sideways pitcher is going to do but I'm waiting for a loophole to be taken advantage of. R3, sideways F1 declares windup, R3 thinks he can steal HP on the windup but F1 just throws home without winding up. 

[noumpere]

It also includes the more common motion where the pitcher starts with both arms at his side and simultaneously steps back with the pivot free (edited based on Sr. Azul's comment) foot and raises his arms, joining them at / just above his head and from there continuing with what we all would recognize as a "normal" motion.

 

That's legal in all codes, but it's the first move that becomes a commitment to pitch.

[Senor Azul]

Mr. noumpere, are you sure the pitcher can step back with his pivot foot? Doesn't that mean he has actually disengaged the rubber? Don't you mean the pitcher's free or lead foot?

[noumpere]

17 hours ago, Senor Azul said:

Mr. noumpere, are you sure the pitcher can step back with his pivot foot? Doesn't that mean he has actually disengaged the rubber? Don't you mean the pitcher's free or lead foot?

I put that in just to see if anyone was reading.  That's my story.

 

I fixed the post.

[dumbdumb]

So, is this part of the 'declare' rule with a runner on 3rd only, but not with runners on 1st or 2nd (which kills little ball and favors home run ball, since the runner cannot tell, and therefor just hangs back rather than risk a steal).

[Jimurray]

7 minutes ago, dumbdumb said:

So, is this part of the 'declare' rule with a runner on 3rd only, but not with runners on 1st or 2nd (which kills little ball and favors home run ball, since the runner cannot tell, and therefor just hangs back rather than risk a steal).

The MLBUM windup wording has been there for years and has nothing to do with the "declare" rule. The rule is not runner config dependent and only assumes a sideways pitcher is in the set unless he says otherwise. If he wanted to declare windup he could do it in any runner config but it would be unwise in some configs unless he was planning on using the loophole I mentioned.