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Originally Posted by Snakeeye
Actually, the batter does not go to first on a balk. Only the runners advance.
A balk is basically a deliberate attempt at decieving the base runners. Thus, a balk cannot be called with the bases empty.
Most common reasons for a balk are:
- Starting then stopping your windup.
- Throwing to a base without stepping off the rubber
- Throwing to first base after stepping towards home on a pickoff attempt
- Faking a throw to first (it is legal to fake a throw to second or third).
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Sorry for forgetting about this thread people!
"Starting then stopping your windup" is not a common balk. I must say that has to be one of the rarer balks.
"Throwing to a base without stepping off the rubber" is most definitely NOT a balk. It is very much legal and happens many times per game.
"Throwing to first base after stepping towards home on a pickoff attempt" is also not a balk, if the pitcher is left handed. As long as the pitcher's leg does not break the plane represented by a 45 degree angle between first and home he can still go to first. If he has broken the 45 and goes to first, it is a balk. Obviously this is a big time judgement call, and you will hear announcers refer to a move like this by a pitcher as a "balk move", because it is so close to, and often is, a balk.
"Faking a throw to first" is not a balk if you step off the rubber first. You can fake at the runner all you want as long as you aren't on the rubber.
One of the common balks is the dropping of the ball when the pitcher is on the rubber. This happened to a guy in one of my games this past week.
Another common balk is when a pitcher throws to an unoccupied base without stepping off the rubber first.
And maybe the most common balk called is when the pitcher does not pause when he comes set. You'll often hear players in the dugout yell out "make him pause" or "he's bouncing". This is in reference to the pitcher not coming properly set.
