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Stretch Position


Guest Munny
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Guest Munny

Runners on base, a pitcher starts in stretch position, instead of pulling his front foot towards his back foot to "set", he takes a small step behind him, then leg kicks in one fluid motion (similar to a windup).  Is this a balk with runners on?

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22 minutes ago, Guest Munny said:

Runners on base, a pitcher starts in stretch position, instead of pulling his front foot towards his back foot to "set", he takes a small step behind him, then leg kicks in one fluid motion (similar to a windup).  Is this a balk with runners on?

Are you saying he sets the free foot down behind the rubber then steps with it towards home?

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Guest Munny
13 minutes ago, Matt said:

Are you saying he sets the free foot down behind the rubber then steps with it towards home?

No, he stepped backward toward first base, foot in front of the rubber.

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8 minutes ago, Matt said:

That's a balk for feinting to first base. 

Unless he declared himself to be in the windup position under OBR (unlikely):

 

With a runner or runners on base, a pitcher will be presumed to
be pitching from the Set Position if he stands with his pivot
foot in contact with and parallel to the pitcher’s plate, and his
other foot in front of the pitcher’s plate, unless he notifies the
umpire that he will be pitching from the Windup Position
under such circumstances prior to the beginning of an at-bat.
A pitcher will be permitted to notify the umpire that he is
pitching from the Windup Position within an at-bat only in the
event of (i) a substitution by the offensive team; or (ii) immediately
upon the advancement of one or more runners (i.e., after
one or more base runners advance but before the delivery of
the next pitch).

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2 hours ago, Rich Ives said:

But legal in LL majors and below.

 

Watched a single-A minor league double-header over the weekend. I am convinced that the only thing in pro-ball that is a balk is actually dressing up in a chicken suit and screaming “Balk, balk, balk!” while on the mound.

I watched pitchers twisting their entire body around with runners on, picking up and resetting their leg as many as three times, raising and dropping the hands repeatedly, all kinds of stops and starts in the motion, and one guy who would literally freeze for 3-4 seconds with his leg in the air.  One pitcher used four different motions on four consecutive pitches (three of which I would have thought were illegal).

 

:a100posts:

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2 hours ago, noumpere said:

Unless he declared himself to be in the windup position under OBR (unlikely):

 

With a runner or runners on base, a pitcher will be presumed to
be pitching from the Set Position if he stands with his pivot
foot in contact with and parallel to the pitcher’s plate, and his
other foot in front of the pitcher’s plate, unless he notifies the
umpire that he will be pitching from the Windup Position
under such circumstances prior to the beginning of an at-bat.
A pitcher will be permitted to notify the umpire that he is
pitching from the Windup Position within an at-bat only in the
event of (i) a substitution by the offensive team; or (ii) immediately
upon the advancement of one or more runners (i.e., after
one or more base runners advance but before the delivery of
the next pitch).

Just saw Sonny Gray do that when Harper stole 3B in the fifth inning Sunday. He mouthed "windup" to the PU while gesturing with the ball. PU then yelled "windup" to partners and dugout. You can tell a slight difference in Gray's stance between his windup and set but the rule makes it clear.

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