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Hmmm...I've watched a lot of baseball and never heard of that call.
There's some confusion on the internet regarding a "catcher's balk." Rule 4.03(a) states "The catcher shall station himself directly back of the plate. He may leave his position at any time to catch a pitch or make a play except that when the batter is being given an intentional base on balls, the catcher must stand with both feet within the lines of the catcher’s box until the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand. PENALTY: Balk." Some web sites have stated that the penalty for such an occurence is that the batter is awarded a walk. This is not true. A "catcher's balk" is charged to the pitcher (for pitching when the catcher is out of the box), and has the same penalty as any other balk -- the runners advance one base. On June 24, 2004, John Shulock called such a balk on the Braves' Greg Maddux when he pitched while catcher Fernando Lunar's foot was out of the box. Bobby Cox argued the call and was ejected. The night before, Brewers' manager Davey Lopes had asked the umpires to enforce the rule against the Braves' catcher Javy Lopez, who was setting up far outside the box. This appears to be the only time this balk has been called in decades. Major League crew chief Tim McClelland has written "As a matter of fact, I have never seen it called, it's one of those things you just kind of let slide."
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Topic: Minty's "do you still play" thread (Read 59811 times)
