Balk Essay Essay, Research Paper

Four Letter Word

During the play of any baseball game you will hear four-letter words that will arouse both tame and violent responses. Some of these words are traditional baseball vocabulary, some are obscenities called out from the crowd. None, however, cause as much confusion and anger as the mysterious word Balk. When stated this four-letter word that can stop anybody dead in his tracks. There is no rule in baseball more widely misunderstood today than the balk. So what exactly is a balk?

A balk is defined in the dictionary as a verb meaning: to stop short and refuse to go on. Specifically in baseball, a balk means to make and illegal motion before pitching, allowing base runners to advance one base. In order for this rule to make sense an illegal motion must be defined. There many illegal motions a pitcher can make to cause a balk.

One should understand the basic rules for pitching before they can realize what a balk is. In order to throw a pitch correctly the pitcher must have his planted foot touching the rubber plate located on top of the mound at all times. The pitcher must come to a complete stop or pause in his windup before he delivers the pitch. The pitcher is also required to step towards his desired target.

After understanding the basic rules of pitching one now can fully understand the penalties pitching incorrectly. The penalty of throwing an illegal pitch is the balk. There are three basic categories of the balk. They are deceptive, mechanical, and penal. Basically all balks can fall into one of these three categories.

The first category of balking is made up of the deceptive reasons a balk is called. This occurs when a pitcher is attempting, by design and action, to illegally deceive or fool the base runner. Basically when the defense is attempting to gain an unfair advantage over the offense.

A balk will be called if the pitcher, while touching his plate, fakes a pitch. If the pitcher swings his free foot past the back edge of the pitcher s rubber and tries to throw the ball to first base or second base a balk will be called. A balk would be called is if a pitcher fakes a throw to a base and delivers the pitch to home plate. A balk can be called if the pitcher fails to step towards his desired target. If the pitcher throws the baseball to an unoccupied base while on the rubber, a balk will be called. If the pitcher attempts to throw a quick pitch, or a pitch before the batter is ready a balk will be called. A balk may be called if the pitcher makes a pitching motion while his is not touching the rubber. A balk my also be called if the pitcher does have possession of the baseball and stands on the rubber to pretend to pitch.

Mechanical error is the second major category of the balk. This error occurs when the pitcher isn t trying to deceive anyone, he is just performing his mechanics incorrectly. Specific examples of a mechanical error are accidentally dropping the baseball while standing on the rubber, not coming to a complete stop while pitching, and the catcher not standing or squatting in the catcher s box. These actions are not performed because the defense is trying to take advantage of the offense, but they are performed simply by mistake.

The third main category of the balk is the penal category. This category is fairly vague. It states that any action a pitcher makes that the rules committee says is illegal calls for the penalty of a balk. These vague reasons are usually left for the umpire to decide. Few examples are if the pitcher does not take his signs from the catcher on the mound and if the pitcher takes up unnecessary time on the mound. The pitcher may also be called for a balk if defaces the ball or uses any foreign material on the ball. Foreign materials may include spitting on the ball or also rubbing Vaseline on the ball.

There are two main effects of a balk being called. If there are no base runners on base then the batter will be awarded a ball when a balk is called. If there are base runners then each runner is allowed to advance one bag if a balk were to be called. It is possible for a base runner to score if he is on third base at the time a balk is called

Coaches, players, and fans alike get up set whenever a balk is called. The trouble with a balk is not that the umpire doesn t know when to call one. It is the umpire actually calling the balk. Some umpires are too timid to call a balk when they see one, so they just let it slide. When the umpire finally calls the balk, he will get yelled at for not calling it earlier. This is why so much commotion occurs when one is called.

Each rule has a specific purpose for which it was created. The balk is no exception. If umpires didn t regulate the pitchers actions then the game would have an unfair advantage favoring the defensive side. If there were not a balk rule then pitchers would be forever concerned with faking out the base runner, rather than pitching to the batter instead. The next time you see a balk called remember its purpose and appreciate the umpire for calling it.