Should the balk be eliminated from major league baseball?

Question

What is the purpose of this rule supposed to be? Does it still belong in the game or should it be removed?

First of all, I'm not a Giants fan, I'm a Brewers fan. I actually liked seeing the Giants lose last night. I just see the balk as a rule that can be abused sometimes, and I've never fully understood it.

If you don't think the balk should be removed, should it be amended at all?

Answer 1

I think the balk is intended to protect the base runners. If the pitcher is allowed to make motion towards the plate and then quickly abandon that movement, the possibility of stealing bases becomes much less likely. The jump off of a base is crucial to the success of the stolen base.

I suspect that eliminating the balk would drastically reduce the number of bases stolen, but it would be interesting for some expert statisticians or baseball gurus out there to take a stab at how big that impact would be.

I would hate to see the running game eliminated from baseball, as I find it a fascinating component of the strategy... stolen bases, hit-and-runs, suicide squeezes... I love to see this element of the game.

Answer 2

It does not matter to this Giants fan. Rules are rules! What if Benitez did not leave the Mets and pitched to the Giants, but balked, what would the fans say?

Leave baseball as it is. The rules are fine and nothing needs to be changed, except for more severe punishment towards abusive fans at the park especially when children are exposed to violent and profanity laced taunts.

The Giants had it coming anyways. Balking in the run and allowing the walk off HR. What's new? We just need a new late relief and closing pitching staff.

Answer 3

the balk is very purposeful and should stay there

most people don't know this, but a balk is defined as "any movement by a pitcher with intent to decieve the runner'

the balk is useful in keeping pitchers from doing anything that keeps a runner from stealing / leading

think about the lefty pickoff to firstbase. without a balk rule, a pitcher could step to home and still throw to first to catch a runner

that makes the game cheap

and when a pitcher twitches, it fools the runner into thinking he is about to throw. if a pitcher could twitch any body part then runners would never know when to start or stop

lastly a pitcher could full out go threw an entire motion and not throw if there was no balk rule. the presence of the balk make sit so that if a pitcher begins his motion, he must finish it. anything less would hurt the runner's ability to lead or advance

so you can see the balk is a very necessary, if little enforced rule

Answer 4

Keep a couple of things in mind.

One is the purpose of the balk is to make sure pitchers do not intentially deceive a base runner. For example, the pitcher is supposed to come to a pause and is supposed to step towards the base the runner is on when making a pick off throw. Otherwise, no runner would try to steal bases or hit and run.

Two, Bob Davidson, the umpire who called the first balk and probably influenced the call of the second balk, because he got his crewmate Hunter Wendlestat, to pay attention to Benitez, has a reputation for calling more balks than any other umpire in the league. Most umpires probably do not call the first balk in that sequence. The second one was so obvious even Carlos Delgado called that one.

Answer 5

Bla, Bla, Bla. When did you come up with this earth shattering epiphany? Let me guess, the 12th inning of last nights Mets/Giants game!! It's part of and has been part of the game, forever! Get over it! I suppose if you were a Yankee fan like me you would question base runners stealing home. Maybe they should change that rule while they're at it. It's a great rule and as far as I'm concerned they don't call it enough. I remember Steve Carlton's career. This guy balked on every pitch with men on base and never got called for it.. This is just one aspect that makes baseball the greatest game in the world.

Answer 6

The balk should definitely stay in baseball, as many people have already said it does keep the pitchers honest with their movements.

As for the Giants game last night, Benitez knew he balked both time. You could just tell from his facial expressions. The first one wasn't as obvious to see, but the second one was the one that hurt. Benitez has been around long enough to know what he is doing and baserunners shouldn't be able to distract him as easily as Reyes did last night!

Answer 7

Pissed off Giants fan, huh?

I've heard similar, that the intentional walk should be eliminated (and really, it could not be, without eliminating walks altogether) because Bonds was getting so many of them.

Modifying a rule based upon one person or one incident is very, very bad policy.

Rules should be changed when they are not serving their intended purpose (witness the Game Winning RBI being discontinued, officially, after only nine seasons; it didn't tell us anything we couldn't find elsewhere with more clarity).

So far, the balk rule works just fine.

Answer 8

No. If it were removed, the pitcher could make an endless variety of movements designed to confuse the runner. Not only would it make for a longer game, but without the rule, it would damage the integrity of the game. The balk rule is essentially a governor of the pitcher's movements. Without it, the mound could be a source of endless chaos.

Answer 9

It prevents the pitcher from deceiving the base runner. It always belongs. See 8.05, and in particular, see the note appended to 8.05. Nor would I change it. And in very related matter, I would never, ever advocate for putting a time limit on the pitcher delivering the ball to the plate with runners on.

Both of the balk rule and the lack of such a time limit are methods of keeping the game within the game (pitchers and baserunners) honest.

Answer 10

The balk is a very important part of the game. I believe the number of stolen bases would drop drastically and games would last so much longer. I would bet that if the rule was dropped that you would see 20+ "balks" in a game that would slow it down too much.