Catcher's Balk

OAKAS · Jul 11, 2009

I have been watching baseball all my life and was reading the A's box score tonight and it stated that the Rays catcher committed a catcher's balk. I knew there was a penalty for being out of the catchers box but never heard it referred to as a balk. Have you guys ever heard of this before.

Answer

A catcher's balk occurs when the catcher steps outside of the catchers box (the box behind home plate) before the pitch is delivered--runners advance.

ChrisParadise · Jul 11, 2009

can happen on an intentional walk

when i was 13 we lost a championship game because our catcher did this...i still get mad thinking about it

SoonerNation · Jul 12, 2009

i cant believe this was called...on almost every intentional walk the catchers do it and its almost never so...I started thinking a few years ago they took the rule out or something....doesnt make much sense

OnWisconsin · Jul 12, 2009

reminds me of a rangers game the other night...think it was against the rays, not sure....hitter goes to lay down a bunt, umpire calls him out cause he stepped out too far to make contact....rarely see that....

or tonight, runner on first, blooper to center. runner on first (byrd) took off on the pitch, hit 2nd, then decided to head back to 1st cause he thought CF would make catch. ball dropped and he is called out on force at 2nd. argument ensued. announcers seemed to forget that because the hitter was standing on 1st that runner couldn't go back. rangers announcers were confused as hell. washington came out to argue but i think he did it to protect byrd. a whole 1/2 inning the announcers speculated before they got the actual rule, but only thing i could think was: "why the fuck could he go back to 1st if someone's standing there?"

DocJS · Jul 12, 2009

The catchers balk that occured last night: ball gets a couple of feet away from the catcher. The Rays catcher put his mask over the ball to pull it toward him. Can't use your mask to do that. Catcher's balk called.

Lifelessdead · Jul 12, 2009

Wow talk about a picky ump, I never saw it called either till last night, did it matter for the outcome of the game?

DocJS · Jul 12, 2009

Lifelessdead said:
Wow talk about a picky ump, I never saw it called either till last night, did it matter for the outcome of the game?

Dont blame the ump. He got the call right...

And no, it didnt effect the outcome of the game.

Lifelessdead · Jul 12, 2009

But how many times have you seen an ump let something go? I mean come on a catchers balk?

OAKAS · Jul 12, 2009

Doc JS said:
The catchers balk that occured last night: ball gets a couple of feet away from the catcher. The Rays catcher put his mask over the ball to pull it toward him. Can't use your mask to do that. Catcher's balk called.

The official scorer changed the balk to an error by the catcher.:think2: