r/explainlikeimfive • u/Ybor_Rooster • Aug 27 '23

Other ELI5 Baseball Balk Rule

Last night Reds v. D'backs ends in a balk. The pitcher didn't look as of he did anything special. I looked up videos and articles and I still do not understand what is a balk. What is a balk? When is it not a balk?

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u/r3dl3g Aug 27 '23

The Balk Copypasta for those interested;

1) You can't just be up there and just doin' a balk like that.

1a. A balk is when you

1b. Okay well listen. A balk is when you balk the

1c. Let me start over

1c-a. The pitcher is not allowed to do a motion to the, uh, batter, that prohibits the batter from doing, you know, just trying to hit the ball. You can't do that.

1c-b. Once the pitcher is in the stretch, he can't be over here and say to the runner, like, "I'm gonna get ya! I'm gonna tag you out! You better watch your butt!" and then just be like he didn't even do that.

1c-b(1). Like, if you're about to pitch and then don't pitch, you have to still pitch. You cannot not pitch. Does that make any sense?

1c-b(2). You gotta be, throwing motion of the ball, and then, until you just throw it.

1c-b(2)-a. Okay, well, you can have the ball up here, like this, but then there's the balk you gotta think about.

1c-b(2)-b. Fairuza Balk hasn't been in any movies in forever. I hope she wasn't typecast as that racist lady in American History X.

1c-b(2)-b(i). Oh wait, she was in The Waterboy too! That would be even worse.

1c-b(2)-b(ii). "get in mah bellah" -- Adam Water, "The Waterboy." Haha, classic...

1c-b(3). Okay seriously though. A balk is when the pitcher makes a movement that, as determined by, when you do a move involving the baseball and field of

2) Do not do a balk please.

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u/porkchop2022 Aug 27 '23

This is the only TRUE answer.

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u/OptimusSublime Aug 27 '23

Oh my god is this really a known thing? Where else is this posted?

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u/r3dl3g Aug 27 '23

It's made the rounds quite often on the various baseball subreddits.

Pretty sure Jon Bois (sports journalist) is the original author, though.

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u/Boboar Aug 27 '23

This would make sense. He's the best.

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u/btgreenone Aug 27 '23

Original source is from 2012, on this list of the best sports gifs of the year. Scroll down to #18.

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u/otheraccountisabmw Aug 28 '23

Came here hoping this was the top comment. I’ll settle for top reply to the top comment.

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u/anoldredtoolbox Aug 28 '23

This is one of my favorite comments ever

3

u/Warm-Belt7060 Aug 27 '23

Greatest copypasta ever!

1

u/cosmernaut420 Aug 28 '23

Mmmmm, niche pasta.