Not on rubber yet

[coachbr11]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/44wa8KZxmVHQdLfu9

I've tried to add a photo for reference but I'll explain. 

14u Babe Ruth.  Right handed pitcher walks up mound and stops before and little to side of rubber. Looking at the runner on third who is standing watching just off the base. Pitcher does a little pump fake towards third before going to step on rubber to get sign.  Everyone can see that he isn't on rubber, field umpire right behind mound doesn't say anything. Home umpire calls balk, I explain he isn't on the rubber and doesn't have to step off to fake throw. Umpire says balk on deceiving throwing motion in proximity of rubber. 

[jimurrayalterego]

6 minutes ago, coachbr11 said:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/44wa8KZxmVHQdLfu9

I've tried to add a photo for reference but I'll explain. 

14u Babe Ruth.  Right handed pitcher walks up mound and stops before and little to side of rubber. Looking at the runner on third who is standing watching just off the base. Pitcher does a little pump fake towards third before going to step on rubber to get sign.  Everyone can see that he isn't on rubber, field umpire right behind mound doesn't say anything. Home umpire calls balk, I explain he isn't on the rubber and doesn't have to step off to fake throw. Umpire says balk on deceiving throwing motion in proximity of rubber. 

Umpire has not ever been in proximity to a rule book or clinic. He seems adept at pulling sht out of his hat. (halfway clean anyway)

[coachbr11]

20 minutes ago, jimurrayalterego said:

Umpire has not ever been in proximity to a rule book or clinic. He seems adept at pulling sht out of his hat. (halfway clean anyway)

I should add that he said it's because he was in front of the rubber and not behind. I said, I think he was more on the side. When I asked the field umpire he said slightly forward from the side. He was backing the other guy and i have no problem with that. I said, what if he's on mound but close to the grass in front and he said that's ok.

[jimurrayalterego]

22 minutes ago, coachbr11 said:

I should add that he said it's because he was in front of the rubber and not behind. I said, I think he was more on the side. When I asked the field umpire he said slightly forward from the side. He was backing the other guy and i have no problem with that. I said, what if he's on mound but close to the grass in front and he said that's ok.

They don't have a clue how a pitcher gets comfortable while engaging the rubber and is not engaged until the pivot foot is parallel and touching the rubber.

[MadMax]

On 7/12/2026 at 7:26 PM, coachbr11 said:

Umpire says balk on deceiving throwing motion in proximity of rubber.

Not substantiated by rulebook citation or terminology. 

This was called by a (plate) umpire who falls into one of three categories... either: 

A) An elder (in terms of years of experience) umpire, who has never progressed, and has become calloused in his rulebook knowledge, interpretation, and application... 
B) A "younger" (again, in terms of years of experience) umpire, who has not really done "enough" games or gained enough experience to interpret balks "correctly", and whose training has been largely text-based (devoid of illustration / visual examples)... 
C) An umpire who has been over-influenced or directed to "get more __________s" (in this case, balks) by a coordinator / assigner / mentor / "evaluator" who treats such calls as merit badges, or some kind of Pokemon cards to collect. 

[Kevin_K]

There's a 4th category @MadMax.

(In the best David Attenborough voiceover)Perhaps the most pernicious of all umpires is the one who employs the MSU approach. There is no limit to age or or experience level for this most unpredictable of baseball arbiters. Each situation that may challenge the MSU umpire's comfort level is met with an astounding ability to confabulate edicts that have no connection to any rule set, yet satisfy the pressing need to engage in a courtship display with coaches where they are the dominant force that keeps the five game schedule on time for the true king of the jungle - the all powerful tournament director.

 

[BigBlue4u]

On 7/12/2026 at 5:26 PM, coachbr11 said:

Everyone can see that he isn't on rubber, field umpire right behind mound doesn't say anything. Home umpire calls balk, I explain he isn't on the rubber and doesn't have to step off to fake throw. Umpire says balk on deceiving throwing motion in proximity of rubber. 

Another example of why it is so important for coaches/managers to have a decent knowledge of the rules.  If this happened to a coach with adequate rules knowledge, he would have lodged a protest in a heartbeat.