Play was on?

[jimurrayalterego]

Based on the "expert" comments to this YT I'm guessing Jim Evans' interp of a play being on allowing a throw to a fielder off the base is not current anymore. Ed Hickox had a similar call some years ago.

 

[grayhawk]

MiLBUM (2019) says it is a balk if the throw is to a fielder in front of or behind the base, who is "obviously not making an attempt to retire the runner." F5 looked surprised that F1 was making a pickoff and then reacted once he saw that he was throwing.

[johnnyg08]

2 hours ago, grayhawk said:

MiLBUM (2019) says it is a balk if the throw is to a fielder in front of or behind the base, who is "obviously not making an attempt to retire the runner." F5 looked surprised that F1 was making a pickoff and then reacted once he saw that he was throwing.

Agree.

[MAUmpire]

FWIW, saw a balk called immediately by multiple umpires on a pickoff throw to F3 playing behind the runner in an NCAA game the other day as well.

[jimurrayalterego]

1 hour ago, johnnyg08 said:

Agree.

Yes, you can judge no play was on here. But to make a play like this you have to have a successful deke. If this was a deke it was too successful as was F1's deke in the Hickox call. But my main point was the numerous experts not knowing what they were talking about.

[johnnyg08]

1 minute ago, jimurrayalterego said:

But my main point was the numerous experts not knowing what they were talking about.

Agree.

[Velho]

What if there the fielder "obviously not making an attempt to retire the runner" gets the out?

See 8:15 mark of below. Same reasoning for this balk call? This was after OP (viral umpiring / awareness piqued following OP?).

https://www.mlb.com/video/condensed-game-atl-tb-4-12-25