Double clutch

General Pitching Topics
#1

i pitch from the stretch with no runners on and slide step with runners on…

tonight i had a balk called on me for the first time and the reasoning was i was double clutching

i look in for the signs, bring my hands up by my head, then down to my chest and down to my set position at the waist all in one motion

its never been called on me before… is this legal?

#2

Maybe it was a double stop. You have to make sure your hands are in 1 fluent motion then stop at a neglagable pause. If you stop it twice even if it looks it they’ll call it a balk.

If your talking about double clutching like an infielder would do to take time then that shouldn’t be a balk.

#3

no not like an infielder

like what papelbon does except my hands come up to my head first then down to the chest and do what he does

when i first started pitching he was my idol so i copied him and havent stopped doing that motion :stuck_out_tongue:

#4

Well those pro umps won’t call it. Papelbon does it all the time. Make sure you use one solid motion. Don’t stop at all keep it smooth.

#5

[quote=“OffSet”]no not like an infielder

like what papelbon does except my hands come up to my head first then down to the chest and do what he does

when i first started pitching he was my idol so i copied him and havent stopped doing that motion :P[/quote]
if you do it all the time it shouldn’t be called a balk

#6

Yeah but if there is enough of a pause it is considered a balk isn’t it?

#7

im not sure you could even call it a pause…

its more like a tap of the lower ribs

#8

What pitch # did you get this called on? If it’s part of your normal delivery and the ump called it later on in the game and you’ve been doing the same motion throughout, I think it’s unfair to you.

I suggest in the future you try and communicate with the ump to familiarize himself with your delivery. Then he will point out right there and if anything in your delivery is legal or not.

#9

it was around the 15th pitch or so

#10

[quote=“OffSet”]i pitch from the stretch with no runners on and slide step with runners on…

tonight i had a balk called on me for the first time and the reasoning was i was double clutching

i look in for the signs, bring my hands up by my head, then down to my chest and down to my set position at the waist all in one motion

its never been called on me before… is this legal?[/quote]

All balk calls to some extent are judgment calls. If you are really borderline on your deliver, ask the ump prior to the game (warmups is a good time) if your move will be considered a balk. Engage the ump, and he will be an ally rather than an enemy.

Hose

#11


Watch his stretch, less motion equals less ability to gain ground, all that moving around allows the runner to gain ground. 1 look, come set, deliver…it is amazing how this sort of simple thing can suppress the run game and minimize chances of getting called for a balk

#12

Could not the hands separating early be perceived to be the start of a throw-over attempt? I’m thinking the rules sort of address this. However, it seems there is a Japanese pitcher in MLB that double clutches and gets away with it.