A righthander's balk move to 1st

Segment 13 in "trick or treat"month.

The balk is the epitome of purposely tricking the baserunner. There is a move that is taught by some pitching coaches with the intent of misleading the baserunner at 1st base.

The move preys on the runner getting his lead and narrowing his focus on the pitcher's front foot. If the runner is looking at the front foot he assumes he is going to see one of two things.

1) The pitchers front foot will not lift up but rather turn and jump into a throw to 1B. This is an attempted pickoff. When the runner sees this, he is to dive back to 1st base.

2) The front foot will lift up as if he is throwing home. If the foot lifts up, the baserunner can steal 2nd base if that is what the runner is attempting.

The balk move has the righthanded pitcher quickly lift the heel of his foot and then put it back down prior to jump turning to 1st base. The runner is to be confused because he witnesses the heel lift to throw home but then the pitcher quickly turns for a pickoff.

It can be a very effective move if done correctly. It is illegal but very difficult to get an amateur level umpiring crew to call.