Intentional balk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The intentional balk is a tactic used in baseball. Used infrequently, it typically involves the pitcher deliberately balking in order to move a baserunner from second base to third base, in order to prevent the baserunner from sign stealing or signaling to the batter where the catcher is setting up.[1][2] The tactic has also been used, in rare instances, for other purposes as outlined below.
Early instances of intentional balks appear to have occurred for reasons other than concern about sign stealing.
A 1925 newspaper article related a story from umpire Bill Brennan, whereby in 1924 a pitcher with Birmingham, while pitching against Memphis (presumed to be the Birmingham Barons and Memphis Chickasaws of the Southern Association), committed a balk with runners on first and second with one out, thus advancing the runners to second and third.[3] After then retiring the side on two short fly balls to outfielders, the pitcher remarked to the umpire that he had balked intentionally, so he could alter his pitching position to a windup, rather than pitching from the stretch.[3]
An intentional balk was attempted in the 1956 Claxton Shield, a multi-team tournament in Australia. Victoria and South Australia were contesting the final game of the tournament, and the standings were such that the outcome of the tournament could be determined by run differential. After playing to a tie and going into extra innings, South Australia held a 5–4 lead entering the bottom of the 12th inning; however, they knew that a one-run victory would not be enough to win the title on run differential.[4] When Victoria had a runner on third base, South Australia attempted to allow that runner to score, in hopes of forcing another inning and then winning by more than a single run. After a failed attempt at throwing the ball out of play, the South Australia pitcher deliberately balked to try and send the runner home.[4] However, the umpires ended the game and awarded it as a 9–0 forfeit win for Victoria on the basis of South Australia bringing the game into disrepute.[4][5]
A newspaper article in 1976 noted that an intentional balk occurring during an American Legion Baseball game in Pennsylvania—with a thunderstorm approaching, the batting team started to swing at every pitch in an attempt to end the inning quickly; in response, the pitcher intentionally threw to the wrong base (thus committing a balk) in order to advance a baserunner to help prolong the inning.[6]
In 1987, a Canadian team in the New Brunswick Senior Baseball League utilized two intentional balks in an attempt to allow the batting team to score one run,[7] for run differential reasons akin to the above noted 1956 Claxton Shield incident. After a subsequent pickoff attempt was intentionally thrown out of play, the umpires awarded a forfeit victory to the batting team.[7]
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