Unorthodox Pitching

[Jack_Wick]

Legal pitch?

Would a pitch executed like this be legal? 

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8gGHQlz1EBw

[maven]

No.

5.07(a)(1): "He [F1 in the windup] shall not raise either foot from the ground, except that in his actual delivery of the ball to the batter, he may take one step backward, and one step forward with his free foot."

This provision prohibits a step with the pivot, which this F1 in the video clearly does. Penalized as an illegal pitch. Same ruling all codes.

Cute though. 99/100, when we see tricksy stuff like this it's illegal (though being unusual doesn't MAKE it illegal). Were it legal, we'd see it more.

[Jack_Wick]

It actually seems legal to me. 

From the windup position, the pitching sequence is: 

1- step with the free foot back/side/front (you can skip this if you want) 

2- Then, however, you rotate the pivot foot 90° (so the pivot foot actually moves) 

3- Raise your leg and free foot 4- Pitch. 

 

Here, the situation is the same but reversed: 

1- step with the free foot back 

2- rotate the pivot foot 270° 

3- raise your leg and free foot 

4- Pitch. What changes? 

 

Also, how would the rule prevent this? "5.07(a)(1): "He [F1 in the windup] shall not raise either foot from the ground, except that in his actual delivery of the ball to the batter, he may take one step backward, and one step forward with his free foot." 

 

Just a little curiosity: wouldn't this rule actually contradict the possibility of making a pickoff? Should they have added: "except... and to make a pi

ckoff" or not?

[Jack_Wick]

@noumpere

@maven

They says it is legal

Why?

https://www.closecallsports.com/2019/02/pitcher-spins-away-from-batter-legal.html

[maven]

That's a different pitching motion.

A key passage from that article that you might have missed:
 

Quote

Take a look at the accompanying animated GIF: Has Michael "reset" his pivot foot? If all the pitcher has done is rotated his pivot foot, or spun on the foot, then he is legal. If he has actually hopped on his foot or "reset" it, then we have a balk. 

 

[Jack_Wick]

43 minutes ago, maven said:

That's a different pitching motion.

A key passage from that article that you might have missed:
 

 

It's the same move I posted. Honestly, I didn't really understand that part of the article. Why might it be legal, and why might it not be?

[Jack_Wick]

On 12/1/2025 at 5:29 PM, maven said:

That's a different pitching motion.

A key passage from that article that you might have missed:
 

 

So the 360 pitch would be legal as long as the pivot foot doesn't break contact with the rubber while rotating?

However, during the repositioning of the standard pivot foot during the windup movement, does the pivot foot still not break contact with the rubber, or should it never do so?