Fake to third, throw to first: is it a balk?
The move every player has seen on TV is a balk in pro ball and USSSA, but it's still legal in high school, Little League and the Perfect Game youth sheets. I'd find out which rulebook you're playing under before you teach it.
You’ve probably seen this move on TV. Runners are on first and third. The pitcher lifts his leg, fakes a throw to third, spins and fires to first. The runner who wandered off first base is dead.
Is it allowed? The rulebooks disagree, so the answer depends on which one your tournament uses.
In pro ball, it’s been a balk since 2013. A pitcher on the rubber can’t fake a throw to third anymore, and USSSA plays the pro rule.
High school is different, and so are Little League and the Perfect Game youth sheets. A pitcher can still feint to second or third from the rubber (he just can’t feint to first), as long as he steps toward the base. As a result, the fake-to-third, throw-to-first move is a real play in high school and Little League. Plenty of tournaments that use high school rules allow it.
But there’s a way to do it legally everywhere: Step off the rubber first. Once he’s off, the pitcher is treated like any other fielder. He can fake a throw to any base. It’s a little slower that way, but it’s never a balk.
Do you know which rulebook your tournament uses? As coaches, it’s important that we ask before the game, because it changes what your pitcher can do. It also changes what the other team’s pitcher can do to you.
If you’re going to teach the move at all, teach the step-off version. It works under every rulebook, and you’ll never lose a runner to an argument.
Which rulebook? Official Baseball Rules 6.02(a)(2) made this a balk in 2013, and USSSA follows the pro book. High school (NFHS 6-2-4) still allows a feint to third from the rubber, and so do Little League's balk divisions (Intermediate 50/70, Junior and Senior) and the Perfect Game youth event sheets, with the step toward third required. The move is legal there. Always ask before the game.
Pro rules. Squeeze play. When the batter bunts it foul, his front foot is flat on home plate and not touching any chalk. What’s the ruling?
Still have a question? Ask Coach Fungo.
“If the other team's pitcher pulls this move on your runner, you'd better know whether it's legal that day.”
Who’s out when two runners are on the same base?
The runner who got there second is out when tagged, unless the lead runner was forced, and then it's the lead runner. A smart fielder can get two outs out of it.
“Tag them both and let the umpire sort it out.”
Overthrow out of play: one base or two?
A pitch or a pickoff from the rubber that goes out of play is one base. A fielder's throw out of play is two, and where you count from depends on who threw it and when.
“When the throw ends up in the dugout, look at the pitcher. Was he still on the rubber?”
The rules quiz
Ten questions, two minutes. Would you have gotten the call right?
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