| Situation | What the rule provides | Planning use |
|---|---|---|
| Illegal pitcher action with a runner or runners on base | The ball is dead and each runner advances one base without liability to be put out. | Treat every runner as safe and one base further along. |
| Illegal pitch with the bases empty | The pitch is called a ball. | Add a ball to the count. No runner moves. |
| Quick pitch | A balk with runners on base, a ball with none. | Check the base situation before deciding what the call costs the pitcher. |
| Batter reaches first on a hit, error, walk, hit batter or otherwise | The balk penalty does not apply. | Follow the result of the pitch, not the one-base advance. |
| A throw on a balk goes wild | Runners may advance beyond the base they are entitled to, at their own risk. | Runners can gamble for extra bases, so the extra advance is not guaranteed. |
The wording in the table follows Rule 6.02 as reproduced by Baseball Rules Academy.
What is a balk in baseball? It is an illegal action by the pitcher with a runner or runners on base, and it sends each runner up one base. An illegal pitch with the bases empty is only a ball.
The balk is one of the rules fans most often misread, and the baseball section also answers how does the mlb postseason work alongside other rule explainers. This guide turns the rule into a checklist of illegal actions and separates them from the pickoff moves a pitcher is allowed to make.
What happens after a balk
A balk call stops play, and the penalty is paid in bases. The consequence is simple on paper, but it changes depending on who is on base and what the pitch produced.
Runners on base
With a runner or runners on base, the ball is dead and each runner advances one base without liability to be put out, according to Rule 6.02. The advance applies to every runner, wherever he stands. A balk therefore hands the offense a free base without a hit, a walk or a steal. That is why a balk matters most when a runner is already in scoring position.
Bases empty
A balk needs a runner. The rule applies only if there is a runner or runners on base, and an illegal pitch with the bases unoccupied is called a ball. The quick pitch shows the difference clearly: with runners on base the penalty is a balk, and with no runners on base it is a ball. The same motion can therefore cost a pitcher a free base or merely add one ball to the count.
When the batter reaches anyway
The penalty is waived if the batter reaches first on a hit, an error, a base on balls, a hit batter or otherwise. In that case the result of the pitch stands in place of the one-base advance. The rule is practical because it stops the offense from being worse off after the balk than it would have been if the pitch had simply been played out.
Wild throws on a balk
If a pitcher throws on a balk and the throw goes wild, runners may advance beyond the base to which they are entitled, at their own risk. The extra advance is a gamble rather than a gift, which gives a runner a real decision to make.
- For the pitcher: a balk with a runner on base costs a base, while the same mistake with the bases empty costs only a ball.
- For the runner: the one-base advance is safe, but any further advance after a wild throw can end in an out.
- For the scorekeeper: check whether the batter reached first on the pitch before applying the balk advance.
Situations with runners on base also drive the mlb extra innings rule, which is explained separately. The next question is which actions trigger the call.
Checklist of illegal pitcher actions
Rule 6.02, titled Pitcher Illegal Action, lists the balk conditions that apply with runners on base. The list below groups them by what the pitcher is doing when the violation happens, based on the text reproduced by Baseball Rules Academy.
Delivery and the set position
- No stop in the set position: a pitcher who delivers the pitch from the set position without coming to a stop has committed a balk. The set position is where most balks arise, because runners are on base and the pitcher must pause before delivering.
- Not facing the batter: delivering the ball to the batter while not facing the batter is a balk.
Hands and the ball
- One hand leaves the ball: once the pitcher is in a legal position, removing one hand from the ball other than in an actual pitch, or in throwing to a base, is a balk.
- Ball slips from the hand or glove: if the ball slips or falls out of the pitcher’s hand or glove while he is touching the plate, it is a balk, whether the slip is accidental or intentional.
The rubber and the throws
- Pitching motion off the plate: making any motion naturally associated with the pitch while not touching the pitcher’s plate is a balk.
- An incomplete feint: feinting a throw to first or third base and failing to complete the throw is a balk.
- No step toward the base: a pitcher who fails to step directly toward a base before throwing to that base commits a balk.
- Throw or feint to an unoccupied base: this is a balk unless it is for the purpose of making a play.
Quick pitches also fall under the rule, as the glance table shows. None of these actions is a balk with the bases empty, since the result is then only a ball. The harder cases come when a pitcher is legitimately trying to hold a runner.
Legal pickoff moves versus balks
The pickoff move rules in MLB allow a pitcher to throw to a base with a runner on it, but only if the move is completed correctly. The legal throw and the balk often look alike, so the details of footwork and completion decide the call.
Three conditions separate a legal pickoff from a balk. The first is the step: the pitcher must step directly toward a base before throwing there. The second is completion: a feint to first or third base that is not followed by a throw is a balk. The third is the target: a throw or feint to an unoccupied base is a balk unless it is made to complete a play.
Hands and the free foot
Removing a hand from the ball is a balk unless it happens in an actual pitch or in throwing to a base. A throw to a base is therefore the one legal reason to separate the hands once the pitcher is in position.
The free foot adds another limit. According to Rule 6.02, once the free foot passes the back edge of the rubber, the pitcher is required to pitch to the batter, except to throw to second base on a pickoff play. A pitcher in that position cannot turn and throw to first or third as a pickoff.
Throwing to second with a runner on first
A throw to second does not count as a throw to an unoccupied base when the pitcher has a runner on first and makes a complete turn, without hesitating toward first, before throwing to second. The point of the “complete turn” language is to prevent a half-turn toward first from being used to deceive the runner.
- Legal: a step directly toward the base followed by a completed throw.
- Legal: a complete turn to second, without hesitating toward first, with a runner on first.
- Balk: a feint to first or third that is never thrown.
- Balk: a throw or feint to an empty base that is not part of a play.
These distinctions turn on the pitcher’s intent as well as his motion, which brings in the umpire.
Umpire judgement and intent
The umpire decides whether an action meets the balk definition, and the rule text gives him a guiding purpose. As reproduced by Baseball Rules Academy, the purpose of the balk rule is to prevent the pitcher from deliberately deceiving the base runner, and the umpire’s reading of intent governs.
That purpose explains why a deliberate feint is treated harshly. It does not make every balk a matter of motive, though. A ball that slips from the hand or glove is a balk whether the slip is accidental or intentional. The umpire therefore relies on intent where the action is ambiguous and applies the written list where it is specific.
Fans who like this kind of rule detail can compare the balk with what is the infield fly rule, another call that confuses many viewers.
Frequently asked questions
Can a batter create a balk by stepping out of the box?
Umpires discuss this scenario as a batter trying to create a balk by stepping out of the batter’s box, and Baseball Rules Academy’s balk tag page includes a ruling on it. Treat any such situation as a matter for the umpire’s judgement of what happened.
Why is straddling the rubber without the ball a balk?
The rule interprets straddling the pitcher’s rubber without the ball as intent to deceive, so it is ruled a balk.
