balk or not - high school rules

[fishnfed]

R1 and R2.  Pitcher comes set out of the stretch.  He begins to spin to pick R2 and R2 bolts for third.  Pitcher stops himself from throwing to second and fires to third for an out.  Is that a balk or can the pitcher, after losing contact with the rubber, throw to an unoccupied base.  My call was out.  Offensive coach did not agree.

 

 

Second scenario.  A fake throw to either R1 or R3 from the stretch is a balk???  I think this is correct.

 

I read somewhere and I paraphase, "Pitcher can only fain a throw to second base once he makes contact with the rubber"

 

 

Any clarification from the intelligence base would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,  Wally "FishnFed"

[maineump]

He can fake to second and throw to third, the same if he was just faking to second without the runner going. I am assuming his front foot came down behind the mound?

 

In FED baseball, you can still fake to third base.

[johnnyg08]

Common myth..."you can't throw to an unoccupied base" 

 

You can throw to an unoccupied base for the purpose of making a play. 

 

In Fed, NCAA, and OBR no feints to first from the rubber.  

 

To feint to 3B from the rubber, 3B would have to be occupied.  If occupied, a feint to third base is legal in FED and NCAA.

[BillKen]

You were right...the rat was wrong.  Not a balk.  If the runner is going, the pitcher can try to get him out by throwing behind him or in front of him.  He has to gain distance or disengage.  

[maven]

In the first play, you have a feint to 2B followed by a throw to 3B for a play. This is all legal, provided (and nobody has mentioned this yet) F1 stepped ahead of the feint to 2B.

If the feint to 2B disengaged him from the rubber, then the pitching restrictions ended and he can do anything. If not, then he may still throw to 3B, again provided he steps ahead of the throw (it would be rather hard not to, but still...).

[noumpere]

I would just add to Mavens post that the pitcher cannot in one motion step toward second and throw toward third.

 

And, the pitcher can feint / thorw to an unoccupied third if the R2 even feints an advance.

[Guest roothog66]

If I read your scenario right, you ask about having "lost contact with the rubber." if I'm reading it right, you now have no reference to the balk rules because he's just anothe infielder. I'm also assuming that you're talking OBR because you later quote an OBR rule. If the scenario is that he started to spin to second, but instead caught himself and threw from the rubber to third, you would indeed have a balk if his non-pivot leg broke the plane of the rubber. Same as a lefty picking to first, once you break that plane you must pitch, throw to second or feint to second.