Balk or Delay of game????

[LMSANS]

This came from a friend and I can't find anything on it:

NFHS,  R2 & R3, Outs don't matter, after a pitch, F2 throws to F6 who is in his regular position.

Is this anything?  Balk? Delay of game? What, if anything, is the penalty?

[Rich Ives]

Where was R2? Close enough that it was an attempted pick?

[noumpere]

It's nothing unless / until the umpire views it as unsporting, or a tactic to delay the game.  That's not likely to occur on the first throw.

[Jimurray]

59 minutes ago, Rich Ives said:

Where was R2? Close enough that it was an attempted pick?

As long as the was an R2 why would it matter where he was?

[Rich Ives]

44 minutes ago, Jimurray said:

As long as the was an R2 why would it matter where he was?

F6 was at his normal position. 

The PITCHER can throw a pick there, This was thrown by F2.

This may be the cause of the question: 6.2.2 NOTE: Umpires shall require that the ball be returned promptly to the pitcher.

[ricka56]

The OP  must have meant F1 throws to F6, otherwise the balk question makes no sense. I think that this is about the balk myth that F1 can't throw to F6 unless he is close enough to make a play on the runner (that requirement is only for pickoffs to 1B in Fed rules). 

[Stk004]

7 minutes ago, ricka56 said:

The OP  must have meant F1 throws to F6, otherwise the balk question makes no sense. I think that this is about the balk myth that F1 can't throw to F6 unless he is close enough to make a play on the runner (that requirement is only for pickoffs to 1B in Fed rules). 

Or 3rd in OBR? Or is that strictly a FED rule? 

[ricka56]

8 minutes ago, Stk004 said:

Or 3rd in OBR? Or is that strictly a FED rule? 

The OP is a Fed sitch it would not be a balk in OBR either. If F1's throw was to F5 not near enough to make a play, that is a balk in OBR, but not in Fed. 

[LMSANS]

37 minutes ago, Rich Ives said:

F6 was at his normal position. 

The PITCHER can throw a pick there, This was thrown by F2.

This may be the cause of the question: 6.2.2 NOTE: Umpires shall require that the ball be returned promptly to the pitcher.

Here is the winner as to where the question comes from.  The umpire that came to me thought it should be a balk. because...deception! 

@ricka56 yes F2 is what I was asking.

[noumpere]

It's a rule that's there if you need it.  But, if you need it, you likely have other problems in that game.  And, 20-seconds is a really long time.  Heck, any reasonable defense could throw the ball around, then back to F1, then shake off a couple of signs, then pitch -- all within the 20 seconds.

[ricka56]

1 hour ago, LMSANS said:

Here is the winner as to where the question comes from.  The umpire that came to me thought it should be a balk. because...deception! 

@ricka56 yes F2 is what I was asking.

 I once saw a video where F2 threw to F5 when R2 bluffed stealing 3B. The umpire balked him for throwing to an unoccupied base. 

[kylehutson]

1 minute ago, ricka56 said:

 I once saw a video where F2 threw to F5 when R2 bluffed stealing 3B. The umpire balked him for throwing to an unoccupied base. 

[MadMax]

19 hours ago, ricka56 said:

 I once saw a video where F2 threw to F5 when R2 bluffed stealing 3B. The umpire balked him for throwing to an unoccupied base. 

@ricka56 that video clip is a blight on the umpire community. "Idiotic" is just the beginning of any slew of adjectives and descriptive words to describe that call and situation. @LMSANS's umpire-in-question likely saw that video clip.

Maybe F2 thought he could catch R2 being lazy. Maybe he was late, and just now executing that silly R1-R3 R1 stealing so throw to F6 and catch R3 in a quandary play. Maybe he has Rube Baker syndrome and can't throw to F1 without getting the yips, so needs to throw to F4/6 ever so often. Who knows? More importantly, who cares (unless this becomes repetitive so as delay the game (see below))?

The only point this really becomes an issue is repeated (ab)use of something like this so as to delay a game, whether it be a time-limited league game or a tournament game. In these situations, a throw or act outside the expected routine should, at best, get our attention to something fishy being afoot (or a-fin, as fish don't have feet). Does it, in and of itself, need a ruling or penalty? No. If F6 had been counting pebbles and that throw sails into LF and R3 trots in to score, do we call a Balk, deaden the ball, and give out base awards? Worse, if it was ~12 year olds, where they have Balk Warnings, do we put R3 and R2 back on base and issue a BW to ... the catcher?

See how ridiculous this is?

[Rich Ives]

Throwing to an unoccupied base when the runner merely bluffs IS a balk in OBR.

MLBUM:

Official Baseball Rule 8.05(d) provides that the pitcher be charged with a balk if, while in contact with the pitcher's plate, he throws to an unoccupied base except for the purpose of making a play.
EXAMPLES:
(1) Runners on first and second, pitcher in set position. Runner breaks for third base and pitcher throws to third base.

Ruling: Legal play.

 

(2) Runners on first and second, pitcher in set position. Runner bluffs going to third base and pitcher throws to third base. However, runner did not go.

Ruling: Balk, pursuant to Official Baseball Rule 8.05(d).

[Jimurray]

15 minutes ago, Rich Ives said:

Throwing to an unoccupied base when the runner merely bluffs IS a balk in OBR.

MLBUM:

Official Baseball Rule 8.05(d) provides that the pitcher be charged with a balk if, while in contact with the pitcher's plate, he throws to an unoccupied base except for the purpose of making a play.
EXAMPLES:
(1) Runners on first and second, pitcher in set position. Runner breaks for third base and pitcher throws to third base.

Ruling: Legal play.

 

(2) Runners on first and second, pitcher in set position. Runner bluffs going to third base and pitcher throws to third base. However, runner did not go.

Ruling: Balk, pursuant to Official Baseball Rule 8.05(d).

They did add this change to the rules in 2014 which I think relaxes the judgement of bluffing or not:

Rule 8.05(d) Comment: When determining whether the pitcher throws or feints a throw to an

unoccupied base for the purpose of making a play, the umpire should consider whether a runner on the previous base demonstrates or otherwise creates an impression of his intent to advance to such unoc- cupied base. 

[noumpere]

And, in non-pro play, most are (correctly) going to interpret any sort of "bluff" as an attempt ot advance -- making the practical application of the rule the same in all codes.