Taking signs off the rubber - balk

[SoCal Lurker]

 

 

 

What exactly does a pitcher have to do for you to ring him up for this?  Obviously they don't have to actually take a sign, because their is no way to know whether the catcher was even giving a sign or not.

You had the right idea in the OP. You don't know what's a sign and what isn't. This rule is ONLY in place for the quick pitch sitch. Deal with the quick pitch, and forget about where F1 was when he might/might not have taken a sign.

 

If coach complains, tell him he ain't gonna like it if you stop play everytime you think his F1 might be taking some sign when he's off the rubber. Coach to F1: "Throw a strike", Umpire:"Time, coach, don't be giving F1 signs when he's off the rubber, F1 was not on the rubber". Any one of those words MIGHT have been a sign.

 

As many have said, Just forget about this rule. Deal with any quick pitch sitch.

 

 

And to be persnickety, the rule actually says F1 must take signs from the rubber (which is for exactly the reasons ricka and others have stated); it doesn not say he cannot also take signs elsewhere. 

 

(This rule always gets me bitter, as a U pulled from thin air at a crucial point in a playoff game for my son a rule that if the pitcher takes a sign from his coach before pitching it is automatically a ball?!?  Changed strike 3 to a ball, that became a walk . . . *sigh*.  When in doubt, don't make it up!!)

 

 

Were protests allowed?  I would think there would have been some sort of procedure for a playoff game.

 

 

No protests. 

[bleacher_bum]

Base coaches are there for a reason too.  They should let the baserunners know if the pitcher has engaged the rubber or not.  Neverhteless, runners thinking that the pitcher is engaged, should treat a pitchers movement in the same manner anyway...

Agrred this is in the manuals to address a QP, not to keep from runner deception.

[scrounge]

It certainly didn't help that NFHS, in their Simplified & Illustrated book that many people get in their initial training class and at some clinics, had a pic of a pitcher astride the rubber and describing it as a balk <facepalm>

[maven]

It certainly didn't help that NFHS, in their Simplified & Illustrated book that many people get in their initial training class and at some clinics, had a pic of a pitcher astride the rubber and describing it as a balk <facepalm>

 

If he doesn't have the ball, it IS a balk. FED 6-2-5

 

I looked it up, and you're (nearly) right. My 2007 comic book has this statement (p. 95): "If the pitcher makes any movement normally associated with his  pitch, such as taking a sign, while not in contact with the rubber, he has committed a balk." (6-2-5)

 

Oy. I wonder whether that's still in recent editions of the comic book. He moves his arms when he pitches, too. Should we balk him for doing that off the rubber? Thanks, NFHS!