When is a balk called?

A balk is called in baseball when the pitcher makes an illegal motion on the mound that deceives or attempts to deceive the baserunners. It’s meant to prevent pitchers from tricking runners unfairly. When a balk is called, all runners automatically advance one base.

Some of the most common balk situations include:

• Starting and stopping the pitching motion without delivering the ball.
• Not coming to a complete stop in the set position before pitching (when runners are on base).
• Failing to step directly toward a base before throwing there on a pickoff attempt.
• Throwing to a base without the ball (fake throw to first is illegal for pitchers).
• Making a pitching motion while not on the rubber.
• Dropping the ball while on the mound.
• Quick pitching (delivering the ball before the batter is reasonably set in the box).
• Deceptive movements, such as pretending to pitch while holding the ball, or flinching toward home without releasing.