Pitching

[Guest Glen]

Is it Legal to hang your leg while pitching?Legal to hang your leg while pitching?

[ArchAngel72]

Please define hang your leg a little more

 

are you meaning pick up the front leg and let it dangle with out moving?

If so no. the body needs to stay in motion 

[ErichKeane]

19 minutes ago, ArchAngel72 said:

Please define hang your leg a little more

 

are you meaning pick up the front leg and let it dangle with out moving?

If so no. the body needs to stay in motion 

Exactly this.  However note the subtly to 'the body needs to stay in motion' allows you to 'hang' the leg, as long as something else on the body is moving.

[maven]

As long as something is moving, the leg may hang. In amateur baseball, when F1 hangs the leg he usually stops moving everything—freezes—which is not legal.

[Senor Azul]

It is a balk if a pitcher suspends his lift (lead or front) leg during his pitching motion after his set—it is a start/stop balk. Here are two interpretations for OBR and then a case play for high school ball.

From the 2013 Wendelstedt rules interpretation manual (section 6.3, p. 102):  It is a balk when…The pitcher suspends his foot in the air (he stopped his delivery) in an attempt to hold a runner.

Play 132:  R1, no outs, no count. The left-handed pitcher, after coming stopped in the set position, raises his non-pivot foot off the ground and suspends it in the air, freezing R1. He then steps and throws to first base in an attempt to pick-off R1. Ruling:  This is a balk.

From the 2017 Jaksa/Roder rules interpretation manual (Chapter 18, p. 144):  It is a balk if a pitcher who is in-contact…hesitates in or interrupts his motion to join hands, pitch, throw, or disengage.

R1. A left-handed pitcher lifts his free foot and suspends it, unmoving, for a split second before proceeding in his motion to throw:  hesitation, balk.

2019 NFHS Case Book Play

6.1.3 Situation H:  With R1, F1 is in set position in a wide stance. He lifts his nonpivot foot to shorten his stance and then returns to his wide stance (a) during his stretch and before his stop or (b) after his stop. Ruling:  This is legal in (a), but is a balk in (b). If the nonpivot foot is lifted after the stop, he must immediately pitch or step directly toward a base and throw to that base.