Ejections 173-4 - Don Mattingly & Richard Bleier Tossed After John Tumpane Calls 3 Balks in the 8th

[@TPinesGold]

3 balks but only 2 moneys worth ... ugh, things are out of balance

[@88laserbeam]

We need a moneys worth piggy bank counter for next season! See how much moneys worth is really worth in a single season lol

[@touchdown62]

Well that's just one "money's worth" per ejection. There's the balance.

[@markeschen]

I was watching the replay of this earlier on another channel and I was a bit startled at first when the "ka-ching" sound effect was missing after hearing the money's worth line.

[@4HBirtcher]

Yeah I think they need to both get rid of the balk rule and inspection rules and etc. because these constant rules changes are ruining our National past time!

[@torstenbrandt5628]

When I'm pitching I do it nearly the same way just additional foot tapping with the drive leg. Therefore I get used to take a deep breath and a really rapidly stop with my hands when exhaling. Helps the umpire to recognize the stop and I can keep my strange habbits without balking 3 times in a row. :D

[@harrisjessop1679]

Between the 2 balks covered here with Bleier and Gausman these have been let go for so many years now and all of a sudden, they are getting called. You have to think this has come down from the top to call these. So many pitchers with runners on base have that rocking motion with their front knee not coming set and it's been worse the last 2 years than i can remember.

[@Joe_Okey]

Hey CloseCallSports, usually you do a fairly good job, but Jomboy nailed it on this one. His breakdown put balk and non-balk pitches SIDE BY SIDE and asked us to guess which one was called a balk, and there was NO DIFFERENCE between the pitches. The only way to tell which one was called a balk was to see the pitchers reaction afterwards. The umpires brought all this grief on themselves by their LOUSY inconsistency. Either call it on ALL pitches or don't but BE CONSISTENT!

[@Art29Art29]

the angle of the videos were from the back tho, the side angle they used in this video is much better then jomboys

[@MitchellEdelman]

CCS said all of these are Balks, and should be called Balks. He also agreed that letting a few go to hope the pitcher adjusts is dumb. Just call every balk.

[@nathanmilander1254]

The point is, they were ALL balks.

[@Joe_Okey]

@@nathanmilander1254 Then ALL of them should have been called.

[@TeemoQuinton]

@@nathanmilander1254 false

[@wesnall6796]

Here’s the ultimate problem. The guy has used the exact same pitching motion his entire professional career. Right, wrong or indifferent, it should be called the same way every time. There’s no way a pitcher makes it from the minor league to the majors balking on every pitch and Tumpane is the first guy to figure it out. To be blunt, Tumpane isn’t that good.

[@pupfriend]

Exactly. Like getting pulled over going 1 mph over the speed limit... and to do this at the end of the season? What the heck was the point?

[@Subangelis]

Except he hasn't his entire career. He comes set when he played in Baltimore.

[@Subangelis]

@@pupfriend First time Trumpane umped first with Blier pitching.

[@pupfriend]

@@Subangelis Completely irrelevant.

[@bradt7451]

The point you missed is the league may have sent out a memo saying this needs to be enforced. Tumpane is one of the better guys working. You guys are talking outta your azz because you’re ignorant to possibilities involving the league office.

[@donh6416]

Had a talk with a D1 crew chief at a weekend clinic over balks. He related that good pitchers push the limits to see what they can get away with. Once they find your trigger point they stop. He said a game within the game.

[@teebob21]

Yep. You'll see the same thing in NCAA softball: push it, push it, push it, call the illegal pitch...and then 90% of the time it's fixed.

[@Subangelis]

Bleier just didn't care

[@jacobrichardson1952]

Ahh the Florida Lottery even though I'm not a huge lotto person. Anyway, Marlins always cracks me up when it comes to ejections and brawls.

[@setarelven4962]

Umpire obviously just wanted Mattingly to get rid of those sideburns.

[@almostfm]

I see what you did there. I approve.

[@jtsholtod.79]

Underrated comment.

[@steelyknives]

“Look Mr. Burns, I don’t know what you think sideburns are but…”

[@priceright8963]

I'm sure he'd prefer Tumpane to Steinbrenner.

[@chuckinhouston9952]

You can’t argue a balk. You can’t argue balls and strikes. What a load of crap. Arguments are part of the game. They are entertaining.

[@MLB_CoercedFreeman5OutOfATL]

The whole roll-through thing, unless over-the-top extreme, is kind of something that loses it's validity when... 1. It's as close as it is with Bleier and Glausman and 2. When they both have high leg kicks. It's more understandable if somebody is coming to longer, 100% definite pauses at the set position for a few seconds and then mixing that in with a blatant roll-through slide step to home plate. But to literally plate a run with two outs in a manner that nullifies the pitch so even if Alonso were to put it in play and end up making an out, it wouldn't count....that is absolutely absurd and for a team that's in a divisional race like the NLEast this year - that's really, REALLY pushing it from MLB and its umpires considering the guy has never been called for a balk *one time* in his career.

[@natemarroquin]

I actually have a hard time seeing where this is a balk on all three. It's time to get rid of the balk rule. You really want to speed up games, get rid of the balk rule.

[@langleyj8199]

If pitchers glove goes up, then down, glove has to stop, before it comes down. The rule doesn’t have a time period of the stop. A stop is a set.

[@standyer7482]

The important thing that isn't mentioned here is that a balk call is "Judgment" by the umpire. If the umpire is balking a certain behavior, the pitcher needs to change that behavior, or expect the balk to be called. One thing that bothered me was the announcers proclaiming that the pitcher didn't stop for the "mandatory one-thousand-one," or one second. The rule book doesn't say that. All that is required is a "complete, discernible stop." That's completley up to umpire judgment.

[@oldguydoesstuff120]

I'm going to be unpopular here, but if the first one was a balk, the next two were as well. The key is what Lindsay said at the end. The players must adjust to the rules - the rules don't adjust to the players. And the rules - at least for this game - are those hands just fading down without stopping are a balk. After the first one, the pitcher needs to ask what the balk was, and keep asking until he understands the problem. Then he needs to stop doing that.

[@mattwilliams222]

The umpire needs to *tell* the player, not "the player needs to ask". If you're calling a violation you must be able to explain why it was a violation (though you can hear Tumpane shouting about coming set after the second one, so he did that)

[@michaelfalkner1186]

They're all balks, and I'd be surprised if, of the four other pitches, the guy didn't balk on every pitch in the at-bat. Toss him.

[@63076topher]

@@mattwilliams222 He was told listen the announcers clearly say the umpire told him GIVE ME A STOP

[@Subangelis]

@@mattwilliams222 - We didn't see Trumpane the whole time, but they usually give an exaggerated motion of what the balk is

[@oldguydoesstuff120]

@@mattwilliams222 The ump probably did. They usually do. It's now on the player to ask for more detail if he doesn't understand what the ump is telling him. And after the second and third balks, he clearly doesn't understand - or doesn't care.

[@OldManSurvival]

When I was pitching and got called for a balk, I would over-exaggerate what the umpire called. Like in this instance just stop in the set position and wait there until someone else calls time out. And then do it again on the next pitch, waiting as long as it took for someone else to call time out. Then I would come to a stop correctly just to mess with the umps and the batter. 😂

[@mptr1783]

you were such a rebel

[@pyRoy6]

"Unnecessarily delaying the game" is another balk, unfortunately. Or fortunately.

[@gregbutler5521]

News flash: the umpire was definitely NOT annoyed. In fact, your exaggerated pause just makes his job easier. Ump for the W.

[@pyRoy6]

@@gregbutler5521 Yeah, but it would have been fun. Especially if he got the balk call for delaying the game

[@TeemoQuinton]

Based

[@TaterChip91]

I think he just wanted to beat Joe West's record of calling balks against the White Sox in a single game

[@MisterHoodrich89]

maybe Tumpane just wanted to give Mattingly one more opportunity to get ejected and throw a fit before he retired. a proper send off!

[@darrenschuberg4394]

He did the same thing every pitch. I am guessing U1 called it figuring he'd get the message. He never did. I imagine Tumpane must have ended up thinking dear lord, he's not going to change and I'm going to have to balk the runner all the way around. On another front, any way you all want to look at the missed RLI in the Mets-Cubs game from 2 weeks back (deGrom game) .

[@mattwilliams222]

So if he didn't change, then he obviously doesn't understand what he's doing wrong. Continuing to call it won't fix that or do any good, it'll just make people mad as we saw. That's where game management comes in. You made your point, now you wait until after the inning (when the pressure is off and everyone's calmed down) and tell him what he's doing wrong and how he needs to change it. Then tell your crew if he comes in the game tomorrow and does the same move again, now we're calling it every single time. Bottom line you shouldn't keep calling him for something when he obviously doesn't get what the problem is.

[@mattwilliams222]

@@redphantom2104 if it's the same move he's been doing his whole career, then he had the details figured out and was doing his job in compliance? What changed now?

[@michaelfalkner1186]

@@mattwilliams222 Then you toss him for failure to comply with an umpire (on the third one), and you score the run.

[@mbdg6810]

@@redphantom2104 it was never called his whole career so how is it on him to know the violation when the same thing is finally called???

[@mattwilliams222]

@@michaelfalkner1186 a failure to understand is not a failure to comply

[@AlexMiller6]

I thought Jomboy's breakdown was so much better. Seeing the side by side comparison and you literally cannot tell the difference between a non-balk and a balked pitch. I'm on the pitcher's side here.

[@SgtHolton]

They're both making the same point from different sides. Jomboy says "Look they're the same! That means none are balks!" CCS says "Look they're the same, these are all balks in the rulebook." CCS is going to teach you more because these are umpires who both read and enforce the rulebook and Jomboy has to my knowledge never even attempted to understand the rules, but they both have the same gripe. If Bleier is balking every pitch (which it seems he is) then why are only some called?

[@falstaff2222]

Look, even if a bunch of you are insisting that these are all correctly balks, it doesn't change the fact that it's rarely been called up until now. Expecting a professional pitcher to alter their mechanics mid at-bat without some loss of command is asking a lot. If you all wanna enforce this more strictly, fine. Make it a point of emphasis during the off-season and let the teams adapt during spring training. Just don't wait until late September to have one ump take a view and deviate from past practice.

[@scottboyne8305]

this whole balk rule is so convoluted. this guy pitches like this every game, suddenly its a problem.

[@mptr1783]

yeah, kind of like you speed everyday and get pulled over once.....he rolled the dice AFTER being called twice and arrogantly cost his team a run

[@Art29Art29]

my guess is the league told the umpires to start calling it.

[@robertbrown7470]

No excuses. The pitcher knows the rules as well as the umpires. He got caught the first time and didn't adjust. Shows where his head is at and it's not where the sun is shining.

[@robertbrown7470]

@@Art29Art29 Good, about time.

[@ThriveVolleyball]

I don't get it. It's so subtle to me that I have no clue what I am supposed to be looking at 🤷‍♂️

[@TeemoQuinton]

Correct, because there are no balks

[@mikek6658]

Any pitcher would be angry about this

[@alanhess9306]

They can be angry but it is clearly a balk.

[@Subangelis]

He can be angry all he wants to, he just has to be angry at himself for balking.

[@TeemoQuinton]

@@alanhess9306 it is not

[@alanhess9306]

@@TeemoQuinton Did he ever stop completely with every part of his body? NO! No stop balk, clearly.

[@Subangelis]

@@TeemoQuinton Oh, but it tis!

[@TurnedToast]

Definitely balks, but what Lindsay (apologies if spelled wrong) points out is critical. I'm all for calling balks by the rulebook but umpires should always be hyperconsistent with it to the best of their ability. Letting one go just makes it worse

[@robertbrown7470]

He was consistent and called them balks. The first balk should have been enough but the pitcher went rogue and did his on thing. That's bull crap. He let down his team.

[@munster6629]

Who the heck is talking?? It's clearly not a balk. You don't actually freeze to a stand still, thats ridiculous. Whoever this person is needs to stop posting videos like they know what they are talking about. I'll stick to Harold Reynolds and all the other analyst who has played the game before.

[@Jrose11]

This is an umpire who wants attention. I don't care what the letter of the law says, every umpire is taught to let small infractions go or 25% of pitchers would be Balking.

[@alanhess9306]

This was clearly a balk. It's not a small infraction. Either he violated the rule or he didn't, and it's clear he did.

[@Jrose11]

@@alanhess9306 Spoken like someone who's never umpired a day in their lives lol.

[@63076topher]

@@Jrose11 Tell me WHEN you could see inside his glove that his hand was not moving.

[@Subangelis]

@@Jrose11 - "Spoken like someone who's never umpired a day in their lives lol." Why are you going to tell on yourself, bro? These were good calls, between his glove and his leg, HE NEVER STOPPED MOVING.

[@geoffroi-le-Hook]

Stick to Pokémon.

[@matthewnickerson3991]

The main problem is that pitcher uses the same motion for his pitches. Why has it never been called before as often ? If it has been told to be called by the MLB office like the commentator of this channel alleges then that means that all the umps that saw this guy pitch from the stretch don't consider it a balk. I mean I didn't see any if those has a CLEAR balk. If the rule is that a pitcher can't make any kind of fidget when he comes to a stop them every pitcher can be called for a balk. The 3rd balk called he came to a complete stop for at least a full second or two.

[@robertbrown7470]

All of the pitchers in MLB know these rules and have known them for a long time. They didn't just fall off a turnip truck at the MLB ball park one day and start pitching. No excuses.

[@jonathonervin7845]

since when did protecting your players turn into arguing nonsensically just to appear like you're arguing something of value? These coaches are something else, not just professionally but even at the younger levels.

[@JosephRVilla]

All I can say is this was nuts! 3 balks in one inning. Donnie got ejected at the 3:57-4:03 marks, then getting his money’s worth at the 4:08-4:11; and 4:28-4:34 marks & he should. Richard Bleier then gets ejected (off camera); at the 4:46-4:51 marks, and he also got his money’s worth as well. And, the Marlins still won by the way, 6-4. Oh boy what a mess.

[@RWtheCarGuy2024]

At 4:10 and 4:32, we got our money’s worth for the 28th and 29th time this year. Can we get to 30?

[@jackjon7763]

I think this might be why a lot of pitchers choose a spot on their body to rest their glove for a quick second

[@albondinga6479]

talk the talk & walk the balk

[@tedgey4286]

At what point in time can the runner take off and try and steal second? If he just wants to drift from set to pitch then he can stop his pitching motion any time he wants

[@teebob21]

Tumpane continues to be a consummate professional, and one of my favorite umpires on either the big diamond or the small diamond.

[@jeraldwilson8185]

7 years Bleier has been in the big leagues. 304 appearances. Never been called for a balk. Trumpane called three in one inning. Not a consummate professional. Bad calls.

[@musicum22]

Yeah right. He had a shite game today as well. He is garbage.

[@63076topher]

@@jeraldwilson8185 No bad pitching.

[@Joe_Okey]

No he wasn't, his consistency in calling these was abysmal. Jomboy just released his breakdown, and he put multiple balk and no-balk pitches from the at bat SIDE BY SIDE and asking us to guess which one was called a balk, and there was NO DIFFERENCE between the pitches, so it was IMPOSSIBLE to know which one was called a balk until you saw the batter's reaction.

[@63076topher]

@@Joe_Okey Than why are the broadcasters for his team saying he DID NOT come set.

[@nathanc8478]

Most of these I agree with you on, but this was nonsense. On the third balk, the pitcher was completely still for one full second. This was an ego battle between the ump and pitcher.

[@lastdance2099]

"one full second" haha, that was on slo-mo!

[@nathanc8478]

@@lastdance2099 3:53-3:55 not slo-mo. Maybe watch the whole video before making ignorant statements.

[@lastdance2099]

@@nathanc8478 Are you completely blind, his hand is obviously moving that entire time.

[@michaelfalkner1186]

Nope. He had either his arms or his legs going the whole time on all three.

[@Subangelis]

@@nathanc8478 - Get your eyes checked. His glove never stopped moving.

[@kylejohansen689]

He got two outs without being called for a balk. He's gone all season and all career without being called for balks. So what changed? If Bleier was doing it every pitch then Tumpane was doing a bad job only calling it on the 4th batter of the inning.

[@pyRoy6]

There were no runners until then. Balk is called only when runners are on base. It's worth noting that *some* of the same actions that would warrant a balk call will also get you an "illegal pitch" call with or without runners... but in this instance, his violation required runners.

[@ryankostick7359]

I was wondering can u guys do a ruling on a batted baseball that hits off homplate is that a foul ball or fair

[@bethhentges]

Home plate is completely in fair territory.

[@ryankostick7359]

@@bethhentges ok that is what I thought but I looked it up on the internet and it says it is foul lol thank u

[@darkarima]

It primarily depends on where it is at the spot where a player first touches it. If it then bounces off the batter's back foot while he's still in the box, foul. Or if it takes a crazy hop and bounces into fair territory (where a defender kicks it toward foul territory), fair. Or if it rolls fair, then foul, then fair, then foul again (where a defender picks it up), foul.

[@ryankostick7359]

@@darkarima well the ball is hit and go to the pitch an I had a coach complaining that it is foul an that

[@brandonmurphy4840]

If you’re not gonna call it every time then don’t call it. Pitcher being frustrated here is within his right considering this clown at first base is calling it whenever he feels like it

[@joshnaudi]

I agree, 3:42 was a balk

[@chuckinhouston9952]

Pitchers balk very frequently and this is rarely called. Enforce the rule or get rid of it.

[@roberthudson1959]

This is NOT good officiating. Bleier had not been called for a single balk in 303 career appearances. This is like an NBA official deciding to call traveling on a Eurostep. It is never a good thing when a single official interprets a rule more stringently than all of his peers.

[@Subangelis]

He's just been getting away with it for his whole career, doesn't mean he wasn't balking.

[@roberthudson1959]

@@Subangelis See Eurostep comment. If someone is allowed to do something well over a thousand times, it becomes legal.

[@micmathers1]

If Quick pitches are legal, then why have a balk rule? I never understood why this rule existed. I also wonder if we will see balks increase with the pitch clock as pitchers try to adjust to feeling rushed.

[@bigpoppa1234]

well balks are more than just quick pitches, there's a bunch of things that all come down to either 'deceiving a runner' or failing to actually pitch.

[@robertbrown7470]

Pitchers don't want to come to a complete stop. They wouldn't if they didn't have to. Has nothing to do with a pitch clock.

[@darinlegore284]

Does the calling umpire "owe" a pitcher an explanation (demonstration) of infraction? Lower level coaches seem to think so--we were taught we are NOT pitching coaches. A brief "come to a complete stop" is enough without debate...

[@stephenj9470]

"Clearly something came from on high to call more of these." That's one option. The other option is that this umpire got picky on a pitcher that has NEVER been called before. That said, can the balk go away? I've followed baseball for 15 years (never played), and the rules for balks have never made sense to me. They just feel weird. Honest question: can we do away with the balk and just rely on the pitch clock to keep pitchers from shenanigans?

[@robertbrown7470]

These rules have been around for many decades. Developed over a long period of time. The purpose of the balk rules is to prevent the pitcher from deceiving runners. Unfortunately there is no way to call balks based on whether a pitcher deceived a runner or not, or intended to deceive a runner which they always should. So they came up with pretty hard and fast rules, the most common of them is the rule requiring the pitcher to come to a complete stop. The pitchers in MLB know these rules very well and have known them for many years.

[@Lucas-kp9ws]

I've no idea why pitchers don't come to a complete stop if only to get a breath of air before releasing. The irony is changing it up makes the offense uncomfortable. (Of course, I know the reason... Hint: it has to do with warmups).

[@priceright8963]

The main problem with the balk rule is consistency. Three balks in an inning is going to result in some confusion among fans who are unfamiliar with a rarely-applied rule. And, of course, the team is going to think the crew is out to get them. Not the case, but what other conclusions will they jump to? John Tumpane handled this beautifully. All three balks looked definite, and the ejections were appropriate.

[@Joe_Okey]

Correction, Trumpane handled this BADLY. Either call the damn balk or don't call it but be CONSISTENT! Jomboy just released his breakdown, and he put multiple balk and no-balk pitches from the at bat SIDE BY SIDE and asking us to guess which one was called a balk, and there was NO DIFFERENCE between the pitches, so it was IMPOSSIBLE to know which one was called a balk until you saw the batter's reaction.

[@robertbrown7470]

I suspect that not coming set is the most common balk that is called.

[@darinlegore284]

2 questions--doesn't rule say "complete and discernable stop" and why did only 1 of 4 umpires "see" this, and it was a relative new comer ump Tumpane?

[@Subangelis]

Because his glove is facing toward U1

[@torstenbrandt5628]

Some movements you can't see from HP (like movement of the knee of the plant leg) - in lower leagues with 2Umps you just have 2 angles, the higher the Level the more Umps (3 or 4) therefore more angles to see it

[@TeemoQuinton]

Because Tumpame is inexperienced and bad, not worthy of his spot. None are balks. You see him stop, quick but it is there

[@danielhetue6968]

Such a rare mishap committing three balks

[@robertbrown7470]

The first one was a balk. The next two were stupid balks. That's on the pitcher for letting his team down and ignoring the umpire.

[@dabberdan3200]

We need to talk about the Angel martinez foul ball on the chalk line today…

[@yelnick_mcwawa]

What game/inning

[@kevinbadburn03]

funny how each balk was called on a strike.

[@musicum22]

Ump sucks. he sucked hard both games. I am a met fan, this was such nonsense. Deceiving the baserunner? The WHOLE POINT of a pick off is to deceive the baserunner. That delivery out of the stretch isn't deceiving anyone.

[@boerhae]

I don't see a difference between any of the pitches in the inning.

[@nicholasmarenco5416]

He very clearly comes to a stop. I’m not seeing the minute movements you are seeing and this is a close up video… no way the 1b ump saw any minute movement. What a joke.

[@nbaumgart]

Then you don't know what you're looking at, with all due respect.

[@Subangelis]

It's not just the glove, it's the leg.

[@HouseDaddyHouse]

What is it to be “set”? Completely stop all body parts from motioning at the same time or just your hands? If it’s the whole body at the same time then TECHNICALLY yeah it’s a balk. Nit picky but a balk. I wouldn’t of called it unless it was glaringly obvious. But at least the up kept calling it as opposed to just once or twice.

[@torstenbrandt5628]

"The Pitcher must come to a complete stop" - thats the wording in the rule. So NO Movement at all! turning the head is allowed (looking at the runner for example)

[@brianpotts5358]

This lady talking is wrong it's not a roll through. they did a side by analysis on pitches that weren't't called a balk and they are the same.

[@bananaland5445]

Tumpane got em all right on this one. Dude's one of the best around and it shows. Also, kinda shocked Bleier didn't just exaggerate coming set after the first (and especially after the second). Like dude he just called it on you, if you do it again, he'll call it again. Get a clue

[@Subangelis]

Bleier just didn't care

[@jeraldwilson8185]

Bleier has been in the bigs for 7 seasons. Never called for a balk. Not once. That's alot of Big League Umpires at first base who didn't call a balk. Suddenly, the exact move he's been doing for seven seasons is a balk. Really? F-Off Trumpane.

[@musicum22]

Yeah right. I wonder what the betting lines where in Vegas that night.

[@bananaland5445]

@@Subangelis based on his arguing i would disagree

[@jnolette1030]

All these fidgety moves. These pitchers are not stopping.

[@Fire5485]

I guess I disagree with the consensus. I'd call them balks. The glove never stopped. It kept moving down the whole time.

[@TeemoQuinton]

It stopped, you can see the clear stop. Go to the jomboy video. Its quick but its there. Always was.

[@Fire5485]

@@TeemoQuinton I respectfully disagree. In real time, there's no meaningful pause.

[@TeemoQuinton]

@@Fire5485 in real time there indeed is. But pop off, if you believe there isnt we should be able to agree it isnt meaningful enough to call it a balk and walk home a run when there is no deception at plau

[@blueskies25]

Balks are the worse rule in all of baseball. It's a judgment call of the slightest movement. This first base ump had the biggest EGO and wanted to influence the game. I would replace any one of the 3 rule changes for next year with the elimination of the balk

[@mikek82]

Anyone who doesn't think those were balks, have no idea what the balk rules are!

[@mbdg6810]

Because balk rules are very cryptic. Theres too much nuance and some of them aren’t even noticeable. This sort of was after getting the *Clear explanation*

[@gamecockdevil4]

I see 1 balk the other 2 look like he came set from my eyes

[@63076topher]

@@gamecockdevil4 Some part of his body was moving the whole time. His hand in the glove his legs something that the umpire and runner could see.

[@Subangelis]

@@mbdg6810 - How is "come to a complete and discernable stop" in any way shape or form "cryptic"?

[@Subangelis]

@@gamecockdevil4 Glove never stopped.

[@austen98]

I love baseball, I really do. However, some of these rules, unwritten or not, are just mind-boggling. People say all these things about baseball rules and umpiring and wonder why it's such a problem and mainly it is because those same rules can and do get over-turned no matter how clear the rules are about things. For this instance, the set clause in the balk rule. The rule itself is based on something different inherent to the styles of every pitcher and on top of that you get an umpire to call said rule in the same vein as the pitcher where the umpire is just making his decision on the balk based on his interpretation of the rule. That is why no one knows how the rule applies most of the time and since you can't argue balks, like balls and strikes, it makes it kind of convenient for the umpires.

[@robertbrown7470]

I'd say I have to disagree with you. This is the most common balk. All pitchers or any experience know this. They have to come to a complete stop. It has to be obvious. If it is not, the pitcher takes the risk that it will be called a balk. All these pitchers in MLB know this like the balk of their hand. No excuses.

[@JeffNipp]

You kinda lose all credibility when you do a voice over on a video saying something that isn't in the video.

[@lastdance2099]

Every pitch he threw from the stretch was clearly a balk. He's just been getting away with it for his whole career like many other pitchers, so what changed?

[@EJayMD-11]

He found an ump that had enough, and called it. That's the problem, not enough umps are calling it.

[@michaelfalkner1186]

Was that the same ump he gave the finger to?

[@boerhae]

@@michaelfalkner1186 don't think so. i saw that game, pretty sure it wasn't tumpane

[@TeemoQuinton]

@@EJayMD-11 found a corrupy ump who wanted to rewrite what a balk is*

[@EJayMD-11]

@@TeemoQuinton except it's actually a balk.

[@pokemurrs]

These are all balks, regardless of precedent. They’re all obviously done to throw off the timing of the runners. I’ve always been a bit confused as to why they had been called so infrequently before, especially when you see them called at basically all non-professional levels without hesitation.

[@Joe_Okey]

Jomboy just released his breakdown, and he put multiple balk and no-balk pitches from the at bat SIDE BY SIDE and asking us to guess which one was called a balk, and there was NO DIFFERENCE between the pitches, so it was IMPOSSIBLE to know which one was called a balk until you saw the batter's reaction.

[@pyRoy6]

@@Joe_Okey I think you (and Jomboy) are identifying the problem being stated here. Balks are called so infrequently in MLB that the pitchers don't know what it is anymore.

[@pokemurrs]

@@Joe_Okey Yeah I agree with your point. The rules are basically applied depending on which umpire shows up and (sometimes) what mood he's in that day. I'm just saying that by the letter of the law, they are all balks. I played up to low-A and even there, you couldn't tell what would or wouldn't be called... especially coming from college, where balks were called much more frequently. The main lesson I always took away was that you needed to definitively pause. Nothing else really mattered. I think MLB umps are probably briefed by the league to limit balk calls, since they're low entertainment-value, they slow the game down, and they have a minimal effect on the game itself. The problem is that it's not consistent and you have more and more pitchers with deceptive moves/rolling stops, etc. One thing I will say though from experience, at least with the umpires I saw in affiliated ball... they very rarely miss the obvious balks or balk moves (shoulder move pick, front toe move pick, etc).

[@TeemoQuinton]

@@pyRoy6 i think you miss the point. If yoh call one, you vall em all consistently Also the fact its not a balk

[@pyRoy6]

@@TeemoQuinton It's true that they should be called consistently. Every one of those pitches should probably have been called, and MLB really ought to have cracked down long ago, but maybe in a smarter way than they did in 1988.

[@usernamempk]

Who knew that Phil Nicholson was umping on the side?

[@robertbrown7470]

I think you mean Rory McIlroy!

[@DisillusionedAcronym]

been waiting for this video. when i watched the various highlights, i thought he didn't stop on any of those 3. fully agree with ball on gaussman. i've thought he should have been tagged with balks all these times.

[@brianorndorff1387]

Nonsense. Over-officiating.

[@robertbrown7470]

What's all this feeling sorry for the pitcher nonsense. Nearly all these pitchers pitch in youth league, high school, ncaa, minors and then MLB. Virtually all the balk rules, especially this one, are the same. The pitchers know the rules very well. The pitcher should have adjusted and made damned sure he came to a complete stop after the first balk was called. He didn't. He screwed up and screwed his team.

[@BigEarlNeedsToSeeADragon]

Umpire must have had some money on a prop bet!

[@Subangelis]

He never stopped moving. They were good calls.

[@robojimbo7039]

He stopped all 3 times

[@63076topher]

WRONG part of his body was always moving

[@clockworktime7195]

@@63076topher "you see there, his chest was moving! Clearly a balk" "Sir I believe that's called breathing"

[@63076topher]

@@clockworktime7195 I didn't know that the hands are legs are part of the chest

[@clockworktime7195]

@@63076topher oh please, he was barely moving. Balk is for when pitchers are trying to decieve the other players which he is clearly not doing. Just because he isn't as still as a corpse doesn't mean it should be called a balk.

[@63076topher]

@@clockworktime7195 Moving is moving.

[@sreed24]

Maybe it's a bad rule and not a bad call, but these being called balks is not good for baseball. There's no real deceit of the baserunner here. We have a balk rule for a reason; that reason isn't being served here. Calling these marginal failures to come set only serves to disrupt the game and in this case create a run based on something other than the skill of the players.

[@Kibayasu]

If you want to not disrupt the game then the kind of rule you want is one with 0 ambiguity, like the balk rule. If you have to rules-lawyer over every single thing you would never get anything done. The pitcher, every part of the pitcher, has to come to a stop. Anything less leaves room for argument in every, single, pitch.

[@linollieum3742]

The pitcher moving while set is deceptive to the runner whether it's deliberately deceitful or not. The point of the pitcher coming set is so that when he moves the runner knows that split second he's safe to move. If the pitcher is always moving while set, then that is deceptive to the runner and can prevent them from getting as good of a jump.

[@mattwilliams222]

The bigger problem isn't whether it actually deceives the baserunner. It's that after the pitcher does the same thing the second and then third time, clearly he doesn't understand how he is violating the rule. So now it does no one any good to keep calling the violation every time, because nothing is going to change.

[@Kibayasu]

It in fact did the Mets quite a lot of good for the umpires to call a rules violation multiple times.

[@darkarima]

"You have to call every technical infraction of the rules" is terribly weak considering the last sentence of rule 4.06

[@robertbrown7470]

I had not umpired for a number of years and did a lot of games this year. Where does this rocking back and forth crap come from? Must have crept in over the years and been allowed. Come set in one continuous motion, not three or four rock back and forths.

[@michaelfalkner1186]

I'm gonna go another route here: If a pitcher is going to balk a runner all the way home from first on the same at-bat, could an umpire throw him out without argument on the grounds of "Failure to Comply With An Umpire"? Bleier should've been thrown out on the second balk and the argument after. I'd almost bet if you looked at that entire at-bat, he may have balked on every pitch. But I already would've had him gone on the second balk and argument, and the third balk would've been an automatic toss for me at that point. Basically, you're balking on every pitch. Get out.

[@stephenbeck7222]

Noncompliance would be the two pitchers the other day who stood at attention after the national anthem and wouldn’t get off the field for play to start while the umpire was yelling at them to move. A balk already carries a significant penalty in itself - if the defense wants to continue commiting the penalty, they can continue receiving the consequences. Just like in football if a linemen wanted to continue lining up offsides forever.

[@michaelfalkner1186]

@@stephenbeck7222 Except, at some point, "turning the game into a farce" comes into play in your scenario.

[@joetheumpire]

Oh now Donnie wants to get hot. He doesn't have a job after next week.

[@robojimbo7039]

Umpire had money on it or was fixing it for the books. Plain and simple

[@63076topher]

Pitcher was not doing his job right and COMING SET before delivering the pitch.

[@TeemoQuinton]

On god this is facts, Jimbo

[@TeemoQuinton]

@@63076topher he was coming set. Look at his gesturing to the ump. "This is set" and it was. He stops for a quick second before throwing.

[@63076topher]

@@TeemoQuinton You are wrong why would his own teams broadcasters lie about him not coming set.

[@Chafe3]

Not trying to deceive the runner at all he does this on every pitch

[@tw1nn319]

the no stop balk is a blatant rule in the book, has nothing to do with deceiving the runner, its a no stop balk.

[@linollieum3742]

It doesn't matter if he's trying to deceive the runner or not, if he's moving the whole time he's set, that doesn't let runners get as good of a jump on their steal or secondary leads because the idea is that the pitcher moving after coming set is the trigger for the runner to move. But if the pitcher is always moving, that is deceptive and if everyone were allowed to do it they would all do it to have an advantage over the runners, even if small, but it can be the difference between a stolen base and an out, or thrown out stretching it for an extra base or safe.

[@lastdance2099]

It's inherently deceptive, that's why the rule is there.

[@Subangelis]

That just means he's been getting away with it. Doesn't mean they aren't balks.

[@Subangelis]

When your manager gets himself ejected protecting you, DON'T RUN YOUR F'ING MOUTH.

[@mptr1783]

especially when you argue with the umpire who didnt make the call

[@TeemoQuinton]

When a guy throws a pitch the same way everytime and its mever been called a balk before.... DONT CALL IT A FING BALK BECAUSE IT AINT. HE COMES SET

[@Subangelis]

@@TeemoQuinton 'Never been called a balk" ≠ not a balk

[@xavierrolston]

They’re all balks lmao he never comes set

[@DocPicklez]

No, thats BS

[@stevefranklin4203]

Stupid call. That move didn't give the pitcher an advantage. Didn't do anything to deceive the runner or batter. "Technically" a balk if you want to call it, but made the umpire an unnecessary influence in the outcome of the game. "If you look really close the glove didn't stop moving." Dumb.

[@alanhess9306]

Steve Franklin, Stupid comment. He violated a rule, it's a balk. Dumb.

[@Subangelis]

The rule doesn't say it has to give ANYONE advantage. These were good calls.

[@gforce97]

The mets shouldve won this game!

[@Toad_Moto]

Those are garbage calls. Ump made it personal or about him.

[@locustjohn3865]

Those are correct calls.

[@Toad_Moto]

@@locustjohn3865 He's never had one in his career up until that point. If it's a balk, then the league should be consistent and call it everytime, but they don't. You know why? Because it's a reach at best.

[@locustjohn3865]

@@Toad_Moto He never stops moving his hand and/or legs. That is a balk. Sorry you don't understand or want to follow the rules. Not sure if you are a criminal or just a douchebag. Probably a bit of both.

[@Toad_Moto]

@@locustjohn3865 I understand the rule. There has to be intent to deceive a runner for a balk. That didn’t happen. Thanks for your input. You're dumb if you don't understand this is technically a balk. You're dumber if you don't understand why this hasn't been and shouldn't be called.

[@TeemoQuinton]

True, Toad

[@4HBirtcher]

Get rid of the damn balk rule! And today’s rules are taking the spirit of the game away and it’s going to stop and stop NOW!

[@pyRoy6]

How does a runner steal a base without a balk rule? Even taking out the specific rule about coming to a complete stop would make it at least twice as hard to steal.

[@4HBirtcher]

@@pyRoy6 It’s because the umpires ABUSE of the balk rule is the reason why! Remember back in the early 2000s when umpire Joe West UNFAIRLY called 2 balks on a Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle that got him and his manager UNFAIRLY ejected from the game!

[@4HBirtcher]

@@pyRoy6 Look up for a video titled 2 balks leads to 2 ejections!

[@pyRoy6]

@@4HBirtcher That can be addressed by updating the rule, or even through clarification of the implemention of the existing rule. That way we can still have base stealing.

[@trock6447]

if thats a balk, literally every pitcher balks non-stop, umpire inserting himself into the game

[@locustjohn3865]

You are literally completely wrong.

[@ronpayne4505]

He’s 100% correct and you are completely wrong. The word stop, by definition, mean NO movement! The act of the glove moving upwards followed by moving downwards mean the velocity of the hand HAD to go through ZERO during the change of direction, simple physics!

[@almostfm]

@@ronpayne4505 While that's true in the world of physics, a simple change of direction in baseball is not considered a stop.

[@micahrapier3736]

@@ronpayne4505 while I agree with your overall opinion, the guy never stopped moving, which according to the letter of the rule, pitchers must come set for approximately 1 second. The problem is, there are so many pitchers that never stop moving and it’s not called, so when it is called, it looks like umpire bias, which is not a good look. Even at youth level, coaches are teaching their kids to ride the line on balking by not totally coming set. The commentator is just dead wrong going strictly off the rule, because the umpires’ inconsistent enforcement has made the words of the rule very murky.

[@tw1nn319]

@@ronpayne4505 keep in mind the leg also has to come to a stop, during the change of glove direction(which isnt a stop in baseball just because its a stop in physics) his leg is moving, hence, no stop. Also, youre still kinda wrong in the physics department too, up and down are in the 2 dimensional plane, doesn't mean he stopped in the 3rd dimension, which he must.

[@omny6686]

Umpires: "Make sure to completely stop" MLB: "Let's put a pitch timer to make it harder to stop"

[@kristopherwagner4173]

Constant movement. Bulks were correct. But they should have called all of them. Exactly like you said

[@richardvinyard1895]

Ridiculous calls

[@63076topher]

Ridiculous that a pitcher DOES NOT follow the rules and COME SET before pitching just keeps his body moving the whole time.

[@theburnetts]

What exactly is the purpose of showing Bleier getting ejected for something completely different? The only reason that I can think of is you are trying to build a case that Bleier is a hothead because this channel seems to exist to defend umpires no matter what. Ridiculous. That is the exact same motion that Bleier has been using his entire career. And guess what - those 3 balks were the first 3 of his entire career!! Bleier is rightfully angry because suddenly this umpire is calling something that no other professional umpire has ever called on him

[@michaelfalkner1186]

I kinda hope he gets suspended or sits the rest of the season, because it's clear there's a problem here. The former won't happen, but it's clear the guy has a major either mechanics or attitude problem -- or both.

[@matthewnickerson3991]

I'm glad Jomboy did a breakdown of this nonsense. None of these were balks

[@bsdsooner]

No question this is the umpire trying to put on a show. These guys are clowns.

[@locustjohn3865]

No question that the clown is you.

[@alanhess9306]

How about this pitcher learn what a balk is?

[@TeemoQuinton]

@@alanhess9306 how about Tumpane learns what a balk is.

[@alanhess9306]

@@TeemoQuinton Trumpane knows balks, far better than you ever will.

[@dmdale3598]

Stupid rule

[@alanhess9306]

Because you don't understand it or the reason for it does not make it a stupid rule.

[@dmdale3598]

@@alanhess9306 Oh I understand movement and being set. But professionals create a flow to a game. Umpires... well you have that cheating strike zone, you have some balks enforced, some not. You have a someone outside of the players deciding a game. When the game is tight and both sides are focused on winning, do you really want a halfass enforced rule decide your game. Or the millions of $$$ sitting on that game? Moreover, when the f... did you see the ump explain to the pitcher on the first balk what he was doing? Nope. He proceeded to play judge and jury like he had money on the game. Stupid rule. You probably never played ball, or you would comprehend.

[@alanhess9306]

@@dmdale3598 I've played and umpired for over 35 years. This was a clear balk and it needs to be called. The umpire did explain it was a no stop balk The umpire is playing judge and jury because that is his job. Clowns like you who don't understand the rule should stay out of baseball discussions.

[@davidzimmerman3778]

He’s been balking all year, they finally made him pay for it!

[@joeg5414]

So they were just waiting for the right opportunity to start calling it? Seems like bs to me. If they weren't calling it all year, they shouldn't suddenly start 150 games into the season.

[@63076topher]

@@joeg5414 They have been calling it on other pitchers as well.

[@flyingchimp12]

Why didn’t he just stop after the first and especially the second…

[@TeemoQuinton]

Because none are balks

[@michaelhogg324]

JT is AWESOME and I hope that he gets a World Series assignment this year!

[@gmaqwert]

They shouldn’t let him sell peanuts at the World Series

[@michaelhogg324]

@@gmaqwert why are you saying that or do you just not like umpires and referees?

[@TeemoQuinton]

@@michaelhogg324 he doesnt like bad umps like Tumpane who got every balk call wrong. Go to jomboy, he ACTUALLY breaks it down, you actually see the footage side by side

[@rayray4192]

Pitcher is trying to gain an unfair advantage over base runner. When he wasn’t allowed to cheat he had a baby tantrum.

[@bigpoppa1234]

Horrible calls. On the first one he stops entirely while checking the first base runner, then stops again after moving his head toward home plate. Neither were particularly long stops but calling that is terrible. How "subtle" does the movement have to be before it won't get called? He's not dead, are you gonna call a balk for his chest coming in and out while breathing? He's got eyes, those are gonna move, better call a balk on that. He's gotta fight gravity while holding his arms up in the air, guess you can't even move slightly there either. And then they let it go at 2:42 and it looked exactly the same as the 3rd balk? It's indefensible poor officiating. And you just know if he decided to wait and make sure he wasn't moving, they'd have called a balk and thrown him out for delaying the game.

[@locustjohn3865]

Correct calls. He does NOT stop entirely. Doesn't stop at all. Moves the entire time.

[@bigpoppa1234]

@@yawetag Wrong.

[@ronpayne4505]

John, you clearly didn’t listen in your high school physics class!

[@tw1nn319]

@@yawetag Are you pausing the video? thats the only way i can see him stopping...

[@mbdg6810]

@@ronpayne4505 a baseball stop is not the physics definition

[@Tiny_wxlf]

Terrible umpiring

[@locustjohn3865]

I bet you are the type that thinks rolling through a stop sign means you came to a stop and will argue with the police officer when he gives you a ticket.

[@almostfm]

@@locustjohn3865 Exactly the point I made in reply to someone else before I read this response.

[@mbdg6810]

@@locustjohn3865 a stop in physics is not exactly equivalent to a baseball stop. (As in logically there is some movement like breathing, gravity acting upon objects not at rest like arms in air, etc)

[@locustjohn3865]

@@mbdg6810 Then how come pretty much every other pitcher in baseball can come to a complete stop? Pretty spurious argument you make there, Spankyu.

[@mbdg6810]

@@locustjohn3865 some don’t and its not called. Balks have so many different little things to look out for so the umpires understandably call it too much or too little.

[@jtrjtr5393]

Bock bock bock!!!

[@deckerrm]

Ya Donny..."get your money's worth"...especially because of your blistering .416 win/loss percentage for the year. Blame the umps, not YOUR player's pathetic performances. What a joke.

[@joshuanazworth8011]

Yeah I feel bad for the first base on umpire he just got fired without pay oh my well that's what you get for being a Major League baseball umpire I guess because the book caused the umpire's job and they didn't find or nothing they didn't touch him they didn't give him no fines for the Marlins picther that I know you can't argue with that but you know what those Major League baseball umpires are feeling really bad this morning because they were told being suspended or fired without pay WOW that's not good was called On Balks TPinesGold