Pitcher "fakes" a pitch (doesn't release ball)...

team mom said:

iscore also has illegal pitch as an option. It will then ask you whether runners get to advance a base (different leagues have different rules on that.) I believe it is found under Misc>Illegal Pitch.

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Thank you!

hypothetically, couldn't the pitcher do a double rotation and then release the ball?

USSA Rule 6, Section G, The pitcher may use any windup desired, provided:

4. The pitcher does not make more than one and one half revolutions .... the ball does not have to be released the first time past the hip.

No, the rules specifically mention a second arm rotation in the pitch. Also an illegal pitch.

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There is nothing illegal, however, about the pitcher slowing her arm down before she releases the ball. Poorly trained pitchers do it all the time on their changeups. Some even do it for "control."

Aggressive runners are timing the arm circle. If the pitcher get the to the top of the arm circle and slows it down quite a bit, the runner could be obviously well off the bag by the time the pitch is delivered. As long as the arm keeps moving forward, even if it's painfully slow, it's legal. Of course, if the runner doesn't go, or the umpire still doesn't call it, a painfully slow arm isn't going to deliver much of a pitch and the runner could easily steal the next base. So you have to decide if you're willing to take that chance.

grcsftbll said:

It's a balk which I think = giving a ball to the batter. I love love love aggressive base running. We've got a few girls who are very good base runners and I love to watch them. I even love to watch other teams run bases aggressively (I also love to watch them realize our catcher has an arm, haha). Our lead off was accused of leaving early this past weekend. She's our best base runner, and she was not leaving early. I watched her closely after they said that; I don't want to win by breaking the rules, even unintentionally, and if she were I'd tip off the coach to tell her to knock it off. Our girls do the pitching motion with the pitcher and try to time it so their foot is leaving the bag on release. It can look like they're leaving early but they're not.

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I think you would be surprised if you actually video it. We have a couple girls that cut it pretty close, but I always thought did not lead off. And they have never been called for lead-off. I took a video from behind first base so I could see them and the pitcher. When I slowed it down I could see they were a full step (and sometimes a step and a half) off before the ball leaves the hand. It is really hard to detect in real time, but good base runners really push the envelope.

I think that lead-offs are not called enough.

We video all our games.

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A) Video tape for evidence

B) IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO TELL YOUR BASE RUNNERS TO GET AGGRESSIVE BECAUSE THE UMPIRE IS NOT CALLING LEAVING EARLY AND GET THE BEST JUMP THEY THINK THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH AND SOME!!

njdad said:

Why is it unsportsmanlike to not throw a pitch, but not unsportsmanlike to coach your runners to leave early?

The rule is the runner can't leave the base until the ball is released, right? If the ball is not released and she is off the base...

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Because not throwing a pitch is intentional deception.

the ball does not have to be released the first time past the hip.

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on a typical windmill pitch, the ball is released the 2nd time it passes the hip.

obbay said:

on a typical windmill pitch, the ball is released the 2nd time it passes the hip.

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Yes, of course. I was hypothesizing about an atypical windup that might fool a baserunner, but it still wouldn't pass. Of course, even if it WAS legal, there's no way they would be effective pitches unless she practiced them regularly, which would likely destroy her "regular" mechanics.