Pitching Rules Question

[02Crush]

Okay...We took 2nd in our tournament yesterday and above all else I am proud of the girls for their age. (9) They played great! But yet again another rules questions arises in my mind so I am coming to the team of experienced crew for understanding.

We played against a pitcher who would step on the plate hands apart with the ball in her throwing hand. She would then raise them up to her chest and put the ball in the glove to touch them together momentarily (1-2 seconds). She would then separate them in a weird kind of wrist rolling action down and place both the glove hand and the throwing hand (with ball in her throwing hand) down by their respective sides of her legs. She would then Stop for 1-2 seconds in this position and start the pitch from this new position. As 9 year old's this really screwed with my batters mind and timing.

Is this legal? For some reason I had thought that once you break the glove and hand apart the pitch has started and you must stay maintain a constant motion to pitch. (whether slow or fast a movement none the less). Am I incorrect in this?

 

[shockcoach]

From what I'm visualizing, it sounds legal to me. If she messed with your batter's timing and heads, she was doing what she's supposed to do.

 

[Ken Krause]

Actually, it might be illegal (although our umpires on the Forum would know better). I believe the pitch starts officially when the hands come together. From that point forward (IIRC) the motion must be continuous -- no stopping. If that is in fact true, the girl should not be stopping her hands at her side.

 

[Comp]

Cant say I have ever seen a pitcher stop motion after the hands have separated. But, based on the wording of the rules I would say it would be illegal. The pitch begins when the hands separate. Any motion to pitch requires the pitcher to immediately deliver the ball to the batter.

 

[02Crush]

Thanks Comp. I thought the terminology not one to state continuous in rules but yet it does state immediate which assumes the ball does not stop even for 1 second after the gloves come apart.

 

[MTR]

Cant say I have ever seen a pitcher stop motion after the hands have separated. But, based on the wording of the rules I would say it would be illegal. The pitch begins when the hands separate. Any motion to pitch requires the pitcher to immediately deliver the ball to the batter.

Speaking ASA

Cannot say that I agree, nor disagree. The only two rules segments I can find that would possibly have an effect on this subject.

6FP.3

A. A pitcher must not make any motion to pitch without immediatedly delivering the ball to the batter.

C. The pitcher must not make a stop or reversal of the forward motion after separating the hands.

Don't know if you call the separation and the relaxing of the arms a "motion to pitch" and dropping the arm to the side as it pertains to other requirements of the pitcher has never been included as being part of the pitching motion.

 

[JAD]

I am not an expert on the rules, but when a pitcher goes into her backswing there is a momentary pause while she transitions from the backswing to the foward motion. I am not sure if there is a rule governing the length of this 'momentary pause'. If this pitcher drops her hands to her side, pauses, then goes foward in her motion, it is probably a legal pitch, but she is losing a lot of velocity by not taking a full backswing.

I would also like to point out that at 10U umpires are VERY leanient in calling illegal pitches. Most umpires will just point out the flaws to the coaches in an effort to get the problems corrected before the girls reach 12U, where they are still leanient, but not as much.

 

[02Crush]

There is a vast difference between momentary pause as the momentum shifts from backwards to forwards. This was a flat out stop. On many occasions I could pull down a count of between 1 to 3 seconds. It was weird.