|
|
|
The Mets (22-24) lost to the Rockies (19-29) by a score of 6 to 5 in 13 innings tonight at Coors Field. The Mets have lost five consecutive games.
For a complete recap and box score, check out SNY.tv.
- Oh Billy, Bill, Billy, that was a biggie. That was not the time to be giving up your first earned run of the season on a Matt Holliday homerun in the bottom of the ninth and blowing your second save of the season. I don’t know, but I think there is a reason for the closer to be interviewed tonight after the game.
- Oliver Perez was all over the place tonight, walking eight through five innings. Despite having below average stuff tonight, Perez was able to battle and keep the Mets in the ballgame until he was pulled in the sixth.
- Joe Smith was asked to clean up Perez’s mess in the sixth, but was unable to strand two inherited runners. Smith has been excellent stranding runners up to this point, only allowing three of 18 to score.
- If Endy Chavez hamstring injury from a year ago is any indication, we won’t be seeing Marlon Anderson anytime soon. Val Pascucci anyone?
- It was all for naught, but nice to see the Mets fight to regain the lead in the top of seventh after the Rockies tied it up in the bottom half of the previous inning. However, and I know it’s nitpicking because he did get the run home on a sac fly, but it irritates me that Jose Reyes went up and swung at the first pitch and popped it up.
- Speaking of Reyes, he legs out a hustle double in the top half of the tenth, but then proceeded to get picked off second by the pitcher. Nothing is going right for this team and their lack of focus on the base paths continue. In the words of Gary Cohen, “What else!”
- Also, I know a manager being ejected is overrated and not something in Willie’s personality, but after Reyes struck out on a borderline strike I would have liked to have seen Willie Randolph argue a bit on Reyes’ behalf. Of course, typical of Randolph, he said a few words and marched himself back to the dugout. Who knows maybe seeing their manager get ejected for defending his players may light a fire under this team. Hell, It’s worth a try at this point.
- What a bizarre game. We can only hope this is rock bottom and Mets start to fight their way out of this mess.
The Mets continue their three-game series with the Rockies tomorrow with Claudio Vargas on the mound, game time at 3:55.
 |
 |
 |
RSS 2.0 You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
Fuentes balked on the Reyes pickoff play.
Most definetly, very obvious. Just saw the replay again and it was so obvious. Definite balk.
I’m not even one of those guys that gets mad at Willie for not going out there and arguing stuff and making a fool of himself.
But how does he not go out there and argue that? I saw it live from my living room. It was an enormous play.
What a crushing loss.
Danny, not a single coach argued that. They were like stunned that something like that happened. They were in shock dumbfoundedness.
It WAS NOT a balk.
Watch the play again, Fuentes never touched the ground with his foot until it swung all the way around towards second base. Yes, he was initially going through the motions like he would throw home, but then before the foot touched the ground, he swung around.
So in the end, it was a step towards second base and a throw. This is 100% legal. Also note, it doesn’t matter he hesitated on the throw because you’re allowed to fake towards second while stepping towards second, anyway.
Also note, the definition of a balk is not simply “deceiving a runner”, which is the common misconception. There are plenty of legal ways to deceive runners. Fuentes’ move tonight was one of them.
You’re wrong. He started his leg down towards home and then spun. If you are still in contact with the rubber, you can hang your leg and still turn to second base and either make the throw or fake it. But if you are engaged with the rubber, you CANNOT start towards home and then stop the leg and turn it around. You can only hang the leg and spin.
I’m not wrong. See rule 8.05 on http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/downloads/y2008/official_rules/08_the_pitcher.pdf
This rule lists the 13 ways a pitcher can balk. Please find the rule between 8.05a and 8.05m that says this was a balk. Hint: you won’t.
And don’t refer to 8.05a which states, “It is a balk when the pitcher in contact with his plate, makes any motion naturally associated with his pitch and fails to make such a delivery.” This doesn’t apply if you legally disengage from the rubber, such as in making a legal pickoff attempt.
You’re trying to tell me this is a balk by saying you “cannot start towards home and then stop the leg and turn it around”. That is legal.
Balks don’t govern pitcher’s body weight shifting towards any direction. As long as your body never comes to a full stop while your leg is in the air and you step towards the base you throw to (or legally feint a throw to) then there is no balk. Otherwise, every left-hander who’s ever picked off a runner at first base would be called for a balk (even the ones who step towards first base when they throw).
whether or not it was a Balk, we still lost….. so frustrating!!!
His stopping of his leg after bringing it down is the balk whether it was still in the air or not. As you say it has to be done in one motion which it was not. There was a delay when he stopped his leg and he actually picked the leg up again to be able to spin. At my game this morning I asked all three umpires (who do D1 games) what they thought and all 3 said without hesitation that it was a balk. Saying once you start to bring the leg down you have to be stepping toward the base your throwing or going home. He did neither.
That was as obvious a balk as I have ever seen but the Mets are approaching the Cubs as the most cursed team in baeball.
Anyone hear Tom Petty then David Bowie singing
Free Falling
Ch, ch , ch changes
i would really like outfielders in the outfield…..and second basemen that can play the position…and a manager that can manage….at this point the only thing to look forward to is seeing evans in left tomorrow….hopefully…or maybe willie can play castillo in left and play easely on second….sheesh
ballz
IT. WAS. A. BALK.
I know it wasn’t the reason they lost and that their bats should have corrected it. But gimme a break. That was a BALK. Pitcher stepped to home, then turned around. Of course you’re gonna pick him off. You just DECEIVED THE RUNNER. Doesn’t anyone get this? I complain about this and nothing cuz…well for one, I’ll start caring about this team once they snap out of it….also I’m a bit meticulous when it comes to things like this. Something so small as this missed call could have CHANGED THE GAME!
Agreed.
no post game commentary due to audio problems HMMM
Tick Tock Willie, Tick Tock.
That was one of the more egregious balks I have ever seen. His leg was coming down toward the plate. So grating that Reyes is getting lectured by Mazzilli for his supposed lack of concentration when all he did was take a secondary lead.
It doesn’t matter his leg was coming down towards home plate, because it never came down to the ground. You can flail your leg in any direction. The rules only govern where it initially lands, which in this case was towards second base. I watched the replay on the mlb.tv feed just now to be sure. It was an overhead shot which gives a clear view.
It was NOT a balk.
His front foot didn’t his the ground, but you can’t bring that front foot downwards in the direction of home and then pivot on your back foot right before the front foot hits the ground.
The rule is that a balk is when “the pitcher, while touching his plate [i.e. the rubber], makes any motion naturally associated with his pitch and fails to make such delivery.”
Clearly there is some leeway with the leg kick upwards, but you can’t bring your foot downwards toward home and then suddenly stop — Fuentes was about 75% into his motion. It’s a balk.
Where in the rules does it say anything about the foot having to hit the ground before it’s a balk?
Hitting the ground is the “step” that the rules refer to when saying you have to step towards the base you throw to. It doesn’t tell you what you can and can’t do in the process of making that step (except in the case of bringing your foot behind the rubber then throwing to first, which is not related to this).
You’re missing the point. You can’t start your motion towards home plate and then try to pick someone off. The balk rules state that once you begin your motion to home plate, you must finish that motion.
When a left-handed pitcher does a pickoff to first, the 45 degree angle is the line of demarcation between throwing to first or having to continue your motion to home plate.
When a runner is on second base, the beginning of the motion to home plate is when the leg starts towards home plate. You can’t start the leg towards home plate, stop it, and then spin and throw to second base.
I can tell by the language you use, you have never actually sat down and read the rule book.
The rules actually say the start of your motion towards home plate, when in the set position, is when your hands separate after having come to your stop. (See time of the pitch.) Note this does not commit you to pitch, this is just when your motion begins.
But if your motion beginning committed you to pitch, and your motion begins when your hands separate, then by your logic, any pickoff attempt is a balk!
This is why your logic is flawed.
See rule 8.01c. “At any time during the pitcher’s preliminary movements and until his natural pitching motion commits him to the pitch, he may throw to any base provided he steps directly towards such base before making the throw.”
Now you’re trying to make the case Fuentes was committed to the batter, but as long as the pitcher can physically still turn around and make a natural throw to a base, he is not committed to the batter. Since Fuentes made a natural turn, step, and throw, he obviously had not committed himself to throw home.
Agreed. Rule 8.05(c) says it’s a balk if you do not step toward the base you throw to. That doesn’t mean that if you do not step toward home, it can’t be a balk (even assuming that this doesn’t count as a step toward home).
8.05(a), which is a separate rule, and another way that something can be a balk, says that it’s a balk if you make a motion naturally associated with the pitch. Obviously, this isn’t interpreted totally literally, because you can start your leg up. But as Danny says, the dividing line has always been whether you start to bring your leg down toward home. As as he points out, balks are regularly called when a pitcher starts the leg down toward home and then throws to first, even if the leg doesn’t touch down in the direction of home.
It was not a “natural” turn — he hopped on his back foot. Nor does that matter. What matters is that he got to the point of his windup where you have to go home — that point is when the front leg comes down in the direction of home.
No offense man. But I played college baseball and that’s how the rule was explained to me at every level. I completely disagree with your interpretation.
I use the language of someone who actually has physically carried out the words in the rule book at a high level.
Exactly Seth. The actual application of that rule is that the leg coming down towards home starts the motion to home plate.
Agreed with Danny. You are focusing on 8.05(c), but this was an 8.05(a) balk.
And by your logic, you could even fake a throw toward home (as long as you don’t “step”) and then turn around and throw to second. The problem is, 8.05(a) bans that.
Search on Google for “Jim Evans balk video”.
If you’ve seen that DVD, you’d understand it. This is by Jim Evans, who has trained MLB Umpires for 25+ years. I think he knows what he’s talking about.
And Mr. College Baseball Big Shot:
I’ve umpired more games than you’ve played, and I’ve seen players and coaches a lot better than you know less about the rules. Even Tim McCarver and Joe Morgan mess up the balk rules consistently, and Morgan’s a Hall of Famer.
Take an umpiring course if you want to understand balks.
That’s why I said no offense, I wasn’t trying to big-time you. I was just trying to give you my perspective on why I feel so strongly about how this rule is interpreted.
I disagree with you.
Haha, and obviously I wasn’t that good, I wouldn’t be posting on metsblog at 3 AM if I was.
But I was a fast dude that stole a lot of bases, so I acclimated myself to the balk rules very intimately.
Well it sounds like you disagree with the rule. But this is how the rule is enforced, with the reasoning I gave above. I can guarantee that there isn’t a professional umpire, majors or minors, that would have called that a balk.
I’m pretty sure Bob Davidson would have called it. Umpires are afraid to call balks unless they are blatant and 100% sure, especially in a close, extra inning game.
Ha, okay, maybe Davidson, but just because I can’t trust him after the home run call last week.
But no one else.
The Jim Evans link appears to be down, or at least I can’t get it. Lemme ask you, then, how far can you get into your motion before it’s a balk? Can you raise your arm as if you’re pitching while bringing your foot down toward home, then do a 180-hop on your back foot before stepping and throwing toward second? And if not, why not?
Here is a clip from a Jim Evans video. How is what this guy does worse than what Fuentes did?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0qcHzAGDeY
Here is a Jim Evans video — how is what this guy does worse than what Fuentes did?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0qcHzAGDeY