What is the balk rule concerning baseball?
In baseball, a pitcher may commit a number of illegal motions or actions which constitute a balk. A balk ordinarily results in an immediate dead ball and nullification of any pitch, and each runner is awarded one base. The batter generally returns to bat with the previous count. There are cases when a balk may be ignored partially or completely, though this is very rare. The balk rule in Major League Baseball was introduced in 1898. Balk actions Most basically, a pitcher is restricted to a certain set of motions and one of two basic pitching positions before and during a pitch; if these are violated with a runner or runners on base, a balk is called. With a runner on base and the pitcher on or astride (with one leg on each side of) the rubber, it is a balk[2] when the pitcher: * switches his pitching position from the windup to the set (or vice versa) without properly disengaging the rubber; * while on the rubber, makes a motion associated with his pitch and does not complete the deliv
One of the most misunderstood and difficult to grasp rules in baseball surrounds the interpretation of baseball’s balk rule. Blink and you may miss it. Even among umpires there is no universal agreement on what constitutes a balk. But there are identifiable elements to understanding the balk rule and sometimes understanding what a balk is not is just as important. Generally speaking, any effort by a pitcher to deceive a base runner by feigning a move toward home plate is subject to being called a balk by an umpire. If an umpire calls a balk on the pitcher, all base runners automatically advance one base. Sources: http://www.ehow.com/how_2046281_understand-balk-rule-baseball.
In baseball, a pitcher may commit a number of illegal motions or actions which constitute a balk. A balk ordinarily results in an immediate dead ball and nullification of any pitch, and each runner is awarded one base. The batter generally returns to bat with the previous count. There are cases when a balk may be ignored partially or completely, though this is very rare. The balk rule in Major League Baseball was introduced in 1898. The Major League record for career balks is held by Steve Carlton with 90. The record in a single season is held by Dave Stewart, who had 16 balks in 1988 while pitching for the Oakland Athletics. Perhaps the most famous balk came in the 1961 All-Star Game, when heavy winds at Candlestick Park caused pitcher Stu Miller to sway erratically and be called for a balk. This story is often exaggerated in retellings of baseball lore, with Miller being literally blown off the pitching mound. Sources: http:/
