Royals Win on Balk-Off as Mets Claim PitchCom Issue

[Lindsay]

The Kansas City Royals walked off the Mets Tuesday as umpires called New York pitcher Josh Walker for a start-stop balk, with 1B Umpire and Crew Chief Marvin Hudson came together with 3B Umpire John Tumpane to award the game-ending base award as Royals baserunner R3 MJ Melendez delivered the game-winning run in the 10th inning.

Fresh into the game to face Royals batter Michael Massey, Mets pitcher Walker and catcher Francisco Alvarez appeared to experience communication problems as PitchCom suffered a mechanical failure. Walker made this discovery while engaged (foot on rubber) and before he could properly disengage—and before catcher Alvarez could request "Time"—Walker balked by starting and stopping his pivot leg/foot without disengaging.

HP Umpire Blakney signaled a disengagement and appeared to honor Alvarez's "Time" request, but 3B Umpire John Tumpane and 1B Umpire and Crew Chief Marvin Hudson met and after brief confirmation that they had both seem the leg pump signaled the balk and base award, all while HP Umpire Blakney stood near the mound with his lineup card out, as if he were preparing to document a charged mound visit.

In sum, the call—a start-stop balk for the pitcher failing to go from Stretch to Set Position in one continuous and uninterrupted motion—appeared proper, but mechanically...it could have been a disaster.

*The start-stop is ordinarily balked under Official Baseball Rule 6.02(a)(1) for a pitcher who "makes any motion naturally associated with their pitch and fails to make such delivery," but over the years OBR 5.07(a)(2), requiring pitchers to go from Stretch to Set "without interruption and in one continuous motion," has been colloquially deemed a balk in practice as well as opposed to a "don't do that" instruction alone.

Video as follows:

Alternate Link: Royals win on walk-off balk as umpire communication skips its plate umpire

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[The Man in Blue]

Plate umpire?  What plate umpire?

 

I have a much more serious and pressing question ... 😁

Are they wearing "Carolina" blue t-shirts under the pull overs?  I like ... 

Sported my navy pullover (sorry) for the start of middle school season today.  Wondering what color t-shirts I can get away with under it ... 

[dumbdumb]

7 hours ago, The Man in Blue said:

Plate umpire?  What plate umpire?

 

I have a much more serious and pressing question ... 😁

Are they wearing "Carolina" blue t-shirts under the pull overs?  I like ... 

Sported my navy pullover (sorry) for the start of middle school season today.  Wondering what color t-shirts I can get away with under it ... 

why not. dont they say the sky is carolina blue.

and

just like with safe/out, ball/strike, some are better at balks than others, just like everything else in life.

[Mussgrass]

Just get rid of the stupid pitch comm. These are grown men. Can't the men of our time understand the signs? It worked for 140 years prior to now!

[beerguy55]

2 hours ago, Mussgrass said:

Just get rid of the stupid pitch comm. These are grown men. Can't the men of our time understand the signs? It worked for 140 years prior to now!

Yes, they can understand the signs....and so can everyone else on the field who is observing.

Then, the signs need to get more complicated, to reduce the chances of being stolen...the more complicated the signs, the more likely a cross up can happen.  And that is fundamentally dangerous...first and foremost to the gentleman standing behind the catcher.

 

[The Man in Blue]

So … just because of the Asstros.

I may have been misunderstood … I LIKE the contrasting t-shirt underneath.  I have a grey that matches perfectly that I wear under mine.  I thought it looked better and better matches the plate umpire in the shirt. I hadn’t seen anybody else do that though. I just have to find that blue now … 

[Vegas_Ump]

I'm pretty sure this was a righteous balk call.  BUT.......

Why did it have to take an age for the umpires to caucus and then come up with the call?

If U1 and/or U3 saw a balk, then call it now!  I believe the PU could have then caucused and talked about his granting of time to F2.  When that happened is pure judgement.    Then MAYBE the balk could have been nullified.

But all my life it's been "See a balk?  Call a Balk!"

The delay lessened the credibility of the crew, IMO.

Mike

Las Vegas