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A New Major League Record…For Balks!
“I never called a balk in my life. I didn’t understand the rule, so I never called one.” – Major League Umpire (1969-1979), Ron Luciano
You never know what you might discover on This Day in Baseball History. But before I elaborate, let me say that in the eight-plus years I’ve been running this website, the word “Balk” has never once appeared. So today, we break new ground!
A Major League Record for Balks Is Set!
I know you’ll be excited to hear about this. I found out that today is the sixty-first anniversary of a dubious major league record set by Braves’ pitcher Bob Shaw. On this day in 1963, Shaw committed five (count ‘em…five!) balks in one game in a 7-5 loss to the Cubs at County Stadium. In a largely forgettable third inning, he actually balked three times after walking Billy Williams. On a day that I’m sure Billy never forgot, he was given passes to freely scamper around the bases and eventually scored a run on the third balk. (Hmm…does the batter, Ron Santo get an RBI?)
It’s too bad for the Braves that Umpire Ron Luciano’s career didn’t start until 1969. I think it’s safe to say that had he been the home plate umpire for this game, Bob Shaw would never have been charged with any infractions. I can attest to the accuracy of the above quote from the flamboyant Luciano. I’m not sure of the year, but I actually happened to be watching an interview with him on the Larry King show when he made the statement. I vividly remember him saying that he never called a balk in his entire umpiring career because, as stated above, “I never understood the rule!” I doubt that Ron was alone in this department.
I remember laughing when I heard Luciano say this because in all the years I’ve been following baseball, I never understood the balk rules either (other than the obvious ones). I remember saying to myself “Aha! I guess I’m not the only one who thinks most of these balk rules are crazy!”
Boxscore, May 4, 1963, Cubs vs. Braves
I checked the box score for this Braves/Cubs game, and, to my amazement, I found that there were a total of seven balks called in this game! That has to be some kind of record, too. In addition, to the three charged to Bob Shaw in the third inning, he was hit up for balks in the first and the fifth innings, for a total of five for the game. One was also called on Cub pitcher Paul Toth in the seventh. And just to show there was no favoritism — or in an attempt to at least partially even out the absurdity — Braves’ pitcher Denny Lemaster was called for one in the eighth (again, with Billy Williams being the beneficiary and advancing to second after reaching on a walk).
What Was With the Umpires That Day?
I think we can conclude that at least one of the umpires got up on the wrong side of the bed that day. Not sure which one did the brunt of the “balking” calls that day, but Al Barlick was at home, Ed Vargo at second, Doug Harvey at second, and Lee Weyer at third. I’d bet this was a day this outstanding crew probably wished they could forget!
If you’re interested in learning more about balks, here’s some of the more common ones:
Common Causes Of A Balk (1)
- Stepping off the rubber too soon – The pitchers must remain on the pitching rubber until they finish their throw or else it is considered a balk.
- Faking a pickoff attempt – Jumping across the line pretending to make a pickoff attempt is not allowed by any means.
- Throwing to an unoccupied base – If there is no runner present, then throwing to that base would result in a penalty being called against the team.
- Not coming set before starting motion – Pitchers must come set before beginning their pitching motion or else it will also be declared as a balk.
- Fake throws with no intent to deliver – This kind of action should never be performed by any player; doing so will bring about consequences from the umpire.
And if that’s not enough for you, here’s a link to the “balk” page on Wikipedia where you can read to your heart’s content about balks and also try your best to figure out what these rules mean. Actually, this might make for great reading if you’re suffering from insomnia:
Wikipedia article on Balks
OK…Enough about balks. I promise this will be the last you hear from me about this topic!
Gary Livacari
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Information: (1) What is a Balk in Baseball?
A little-known side story on balks. This probably will not occur again because of the rule change. A catcher’s balk is charged but it is charged to the pitcher.
There are two rules that result in a pitcher being charged with a balk because of catcher action.
It’s easy enough to just read the pertinent rules:
5.03(a) 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.
6.01(g) If, with a runner on third base and trying to score by means of a squeeze play or a steal, the catcher or any other fielder steps on, or in front of home base without possession of the ball, or touches the batter or his bat, the pitcher shall be charged with a balk, the batter shall be awarded first base on the interference and the ball is dead.
The last one occurred In June of 2000 when an Atlanta Brave’s back-up catcher by the name of Fernando Lunar was called for one in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers. He set up outside the box and was called for a “Catcher’s Balk”.
There’s no “45 degree rule” – otherwise a line would be marked on the mound. It’s a matter of where the pitcher’s momentum takes him
There is a very interesting article on the May 4, 1963 game written by SABR member Gary Belleville. It includes some background information as to why there were so many balks at the beginning of the 1963 season. As an umpire for many years I was taught about the imaginary line which stretches from the pitching rubber to the beginning of the first base runner’s lane. If lefties right foot lands over that line a balk should be called. In my experience most balks are called for not coming to a full stop set position and most balks are called by the first base umpire. Full stop is the key phrase and can be arbitrary. Balks are hardly ever called in college games because physics college professors have long held that in physics in order for a body in motion to reverse or change position, a stop, ever so brief, must be made by the body in question. I did witness a balk called this year in MLB because the pitcher faked to an unoccupied base.
Thanks Kevin, interesting observations. Nice to read observations from a former(?) umpire. In watching baseball for over 65 years, I’ve never seen the balk you mentioned: the fke to an unoccupied base. For most of these balk rules, I’m with Ron Luciano!
Yes, former. Age catches up with us all. On April 24 of this year Marlins pitcher Sixto Sanchez faked a pickoff throw to an unoccupied second base. Braves had runners on first and third, umpires ruled a balk and runner on third scored. You can review in on the net. Thanks for bringing the subject to light. Luciano drove the American League administrators crazy with his antics on the field and I am sure they cringed when he said he didn’t know the balk rule. He was a most entertaining umpire who sadly took his own life due to depression. I believe he also played in the NFL.
My favorite balk occurs when the pitcher’s foot is on the rubber but the pitcher does not have the ball. It happens in youth baseball when a sneaky coach tries a hidden ball trick. In an effort to deceive the base runner an unscrupulous albeit ignorant coach would have his infielder hide the ball while the pitcher toes the rubber, giving the appearance that a pitch was about to be made. By instructing the players to stay on the base until the pitcher comes in contact with the rubber, we got a few balks called.