The catcher is the captain of the defense. He is supposed to be the equivalent of a playing coach, because he calls pitches and helps position the fielders. A good catcher secures his team, but a nervous catcher can cause problems and mistakes. Catchers can cause balks by the pitcher and technically can be called for a balk by the umpire.
If you watch baseball regularly, you may have heard an umpire yelling an unusual word in the pitcher's direction. This word, the "balk," refers to one of the most misunderstood rules of the game. In fact, former Major League um...
In baseball, a balk is an illegal move by the pitcher when runners are on base. The balk rule is complicated, and often misunderstood by fans, but umpires are well-trained on the rule. According to Major League Baseball, umpire...
The balk in baseball is called when the pitcher deceptively throws to a base in an attempt to pick off a baserunner or interrupts his motion as he throws his pitch. When a pitcher is on the mound in baseball, he is required to ...
According to Major League Baseball's official rules, specifically rule 8.05: "Umpires should bear in mind that the purpose of the balk rule is to prevent the pitcher from deliberately deceiving the base runner. If there is doub...
A balk is defined as an illegal pitching or throwing motion with runners on base; in Major League Baseball, it results in baserunners advancing one base. Balks were in the rule book as early as 1845 and have evolved with the ch...
A few are so complex and subtle that fans might not immediately understand--or even see--the reason a balk has been called. Why are there so many ways to balk? In the view of The Official Rules of Baseball, "Umpires should bear...