Interesting!

[Thunderheads]

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=19897947

[sdix00]

I believe F1 violated this part of 8.01(b ) and Gary Darling simply killed it in order to instruct F1 to follow the rule.

Preparatory to coming to a set position, the pitcher shall have one hand on his side;

from this position he shall go to his set position as defined in Rule 8.01(b ) without

interruption and in one continuous motion.

I think I learned something here.

1. F1 MUST start with his hand at his side.

2. F1 MAY elect to make any natural preliminary motion such as that known as “the stretch.â€

I THOUGHT the "Stretch" was defined as the motion from "hand at his side" TO "the Set". If this is true, then it seems to me that F1 must always technically "Stretch" in coming "Set". (There is no "May elect" about it. )

Let me know what I am missing.

[Rich Ives]

I'm not sure what rule was violated.

Pitcher was already set (legally). He just stayed there without moving.

PU put up the stop sign (making the ball dead).

Potcher continued to stand like a statue in set.

Once time was in the pitcher just pitched from the set he had assumed prior to "time".

Where does any rule or interp sya a pitcher must re-start after time is called?

[Kevin Finnerty]

We've been seeing new stuff from Gary Darling for years. Maybe some of it's correct; you never know.

[UmpJM]

To me, this is no different than if, after a foul ball, the pitcher took his signs and "came set" prior to the PU putting the ball back in play.

The rules constrain the pitcher to following a certain "ritual" before he pitches, and he can't start the sequence until the ball is in play.

JM

[Rich Ives]

To me, this is no different than if, after a foul ball, the pitcher took his signs and "came set" prior to the PU putting the ball back in play.

The rules constrain the pitcher to following a certain "ritual" before he pitches, and he can't start the sequence until the ball is in play.

JM

Where does it say he cannot?

The "stretch" is clearly optional.

OTOH, he needs the ball to do it so it's kinda a "not possible" thing for your foul ball play.

However, the umpire is supposed to put the ball in play as soon as the pitcher gets the ball on the rubber.

[Kevin Finnerty]

To me, this is no different than if, after a foul ball, the pitcher took his signs and "came set" prior to the PU putting the ball back in play.

The rules constrain the pitcher to following a certain "ritual" before he pitches, and he can't start the sequence until the ball is in play.

JM

I'm going with this interpretation; it's very good.

[Mr Umpire]

I wonder if the PU had gotten out from behind HP if F1 would have stepped off. Whenever "Time" is called, I get out from behind the plate and every pitcher I have had steps off the rubber. Plus, I never saw PU point the ball back in play.

[Guest]

This is a perfect example of how throwing up the "stop sign" is 1) not a good idea and 2) the equivalent of calling time.

Watch U1 and U2 when Everitt tosses his hand up. He is doing preventative umpiring because Dotel has come to a set and Weeks isn't even in the box yet - trying to prevent the balk that is just waiting to happen from happening. But, no good deed goes unpunished.

IMO he should either call time and step away from the plate here or do nothing but be telling Weeks, "I've got you, I won't let him pitch till you're good."

That said, in this instance I concur with JM and agree with Gary Darling's thought process / course of action

[mstaylor]

This one of the things that you see in youth baseball not in the MLB. If a pitcher comes set before the batter steps in I will either step out or put my hand up and keep there until I am very sure the batter is set. Many times it will agravate the pitcher and he will step off. I will very, very rarely use a hand up stop sign but it will work here.

[noumpere]

To me, this is no different than if, after a foul ball, the pitcher took his signs and "came set" prior to the PU putting the ball back in play.

The rules constrain the pitcher to following a certain "ritual" before he pitches, and he can't start the sequence until the ball is in play.

JM

Where does it say he cannot?

The "stretch" is clearly optional.

OTOH, he needs the ball to do it so it's kinda a "not possible" thing for your foul ball play.

However, the umpire is supposed to put the ball in play as soon as the pitcher gets the ball on the rubber.

The stretch is optional but going from one hand at the side or at least separated in pro ball to both hands joined is not. You can just go from say the hands apart at the hips to the hands joined at the waist or the chest or you can raise your hands above the head (this is the stretch) and then lower to the waist or chest.

And just because I know someone will pick on that, there are other options available and the hands dont just have to be at the waist or the chest. lol.