Gerrit Cole gets called for a balk for trying to tell the umpires that the pitch clock was broken.
lmao this is the kinda thing that would only happen to Cole
Kind of reminds me of that Detroit Lions game against the Texans on Thanksgiving several years ago when the Texans player caught a pass, got pushed to the ground and rolled several times, and all the Lions players stopped playing because he was clearly tackled… but the refs never blew the whistle, so the guy got up and just jogged another 50 yards to the end zone for a touchdown.
Then, the Lions coach Jim Schwartz was rightly pissed and threw the challenge flag… except that there were under 2 minutes left in the half so he wasn’t allowed to challenge, and promptly got hit by the refs with a 15-yard penalty for the ensuing kickoff, LOL.
That’s just the Lions being the Lions. Whatever the worst outcome is possible will always happen.
Looks like I misremembered some of the details now that I’ve watched it again on YouTube but was close. My brother’s a Lions fan going back to Barry Sanders days so it’s always entertaining watching the Lions play on Thanksgiving and seeing his reactions to all the different ways they get screwed over all the time, haha.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWEYg82Sm80
But I always go back to this play against the Texans as the most Lions play ever, and maybe also the one where Megatron clearly caught a TD or crossed the goal line with the ball and the refs were just like, NOPE.
There was also the game against the Packers where they were called for illegal hands to the face, and the replay did show that being committed… by a Packer lmao
I remember this happening as one of the rare times (like this Cole one too) where it honestly feels like the refs should go “Ok, the rulebook says [x] but that is CLEARLY stupid here so we are gonna do [y]”
They changed that challenge penalty rule the very next offseason IIRC
Or the time Taylor Decker reported eligible vs the Cowboys but the refs mistakenly called Skipper eligible and invalidated a game winning two point conversion
We (WNY/Buffalo and Detroit) need to drain this cursed fucking lake. Its no coincidence the worst thing is always happening to both of us
Or maybe we should change the name from Lake Erie to Lake Awesome and that’ll fix the vibes
Just change it to Lake Eerie and embrace the vibes.
Still not the worst call a ref made in Detroit on Thanksgiving. That’d be them fucking up the OVERTIME COIN TOSS. Though that is one of the rare times the Lions benefitted from incompetence instead of suffering from it.
The Bus’s face when the refs called that wrong was great
I don’t think it was bc it was 2 minutes. I think it was because all scoring plays get reviewed, so throwing the challenge flag negated the review or something like that.
Yeah I didn’t remember all the details exactly, I went back and watched the clip and realized it wasn’t a passing play either, just a run of the middle and the guy got tackled - elbow and knee clearly touching the ground, then he just gets up and runs for a TD unchallenged, haha.
Sure, but then they made the determination that it couldn’t be reviewed. Yet they still gave him the penalty for challenging a play already under automatic review.
So they fucked it completely in two different ways. If it’s not going to be auto-reviewed, the penalty shouldn’t have happened. Yet they did it anyway. It was insane.
Yep, for some reason if you challenge a play that is automatically in review, it cancels the challenge and the automatic review.
Lions know how to be on the end of some ridiculous rules.
IIRC it was this play that got the NFL to stop disallowing reviews when a challenge flag was thrown on a play that gets automatically reviewed
Didn’t seem to have anything to do with the time on the clock.
I didn’t understand if the erroneous challenge flag negated any booth review, or this was long enough ago that there was no mechanism to overturn the call on the field that the runner was not down.
I vaguely remember this. Lmao
When will Cole learn that it’s really bad for him to point at things.
Todays winner!
Yeah the umps are really trying to stick it to Cole
Can’t believe the umps purposely turned off the pitch clock just to fuck with him
Honestly, I would be down for ump shenanigans like this.
I’m not sure why he didn’t just step off
he can’t just be up there doing a balk like that
Are we sure?
Who’s got the rules handy?
#Balk Rules
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
Thank you so much. This clears things up
I think the offhand Fairuza Balk reference is what makes it all make sense for me
[deleted]
Great film. I’m actually a touring musician, and the part where he finally gets home and flops on his bed is EXTREMELY RELATABLE
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I just downvoted your comment.
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This is one of the rare balks that’s pretty cut and dry.
I’m still not sure why he didn’t cover first, but here we are
https://preview.redd.it/pg8dc5z3wteh1.jpeg?width=398&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ede982601e92a1234b2afbd42a0e303ea1a9ee0b
What are you doing mañana?
Mañana I’m doing nada.
I’m having a boil lanced mañana.
Or like… just throw the pitch?
that too
Aren’t they not allowed to throw a pitch until the clock is under 8 seconds?
Nope, just needs to have the batter engaged with him (making eye contact). The batter has to do it by 8 seconds, but if he does it right away, it’s fair game to pitch.
As long as you don’t stand there looking down for more than 3 or 4 seconds
IT’S SO HARD TO STEP OFF A MOUND!! 😭😭😭
The play should’ve been dead before that happened. It’s not his job to alert the umpires that the pitch clock malfunctioned.
Why? We played without one for hundreds of years, we can manage for a pitch. There’s nothing in the rules that says it’s a dead ball.
Oh please, it’s drilled into your head to step off if you’re ever in doubt of anything while on the mound. He will be the first to tell you he fucked up.
Obviously that’s a balk, but the whole point of the balk rule is trying to deceive the runner. I wish umpires had the discretion to waive it off when there’s obviously no intent, with stuff like this or when a guy falls down or whatever.
And yes, I realize how dumb it is to suggest the umpires ever have more discretion about anything. But they already are laughably inconsistent about balks anyway.
Especially when the player is reacting to a technology that did not exist in the game when the rule was originally made…
Sure, but guys will abuse anything and make excuses for anything, so you can’t make anything intent based and you can’t assume anything. All he had to do was step off and then alert the umpires. Instead, he balked and then tried to explain himself.
I honestly have no issue with how this was handled.
What about a hitters balk then lol jose cabellero stands out as someone who tries to decieve in tandem with the pitch clock
Wait until you see what happened just a few hours later lol
You can always just call it when there’s abuse and not call it when there’s no abuse
That’s easier said than done
Not really since it’ll be pretty obvious when there’s abuse
When there’s no play on the runner and no advantage gained (like the batter doesn’t show bunt) it’s pretty harmless
Especially with a rule like this that they routinely don’t enforce or call against certain LHPs
It would not be obvious. Over time guys would push the envelope a little bit and then a little bit more and then a little bit more until you can’t tell anything changed.
Curious to hear thoughts on how it can be abused without being with pitch clock and disengagement rules where the net benefit also outweighs the cost
Someone will always find a loophole in the rules. Someone will always find a way to bend rules but not technically break them again and again until, over time, the action itself isn’t technically legal anymore but has been accepted for so long that no one calls it.
Overhand pitching used to be illegal but guys pushed the envelope little by little by throwing higher and higher until they basically had to change the rule to allow it.
MLB let the Astros move the video room closer to the dugout because what’s the harm? Well there was clearly something they hadn’t considered that occurred in 2017 and ended up changing the sport.
I think as frustrating as balks can be, it’s a good thing to draw hard lines in the sand so that guys don’t start doing things that bend the rules in front of our eyes so slowly that we don’t even notice. In an era where base stealing is still not common and in a sport where the offense is always at a disadvantage, I believe it should be harder on the pitcher to stay compliant so that there’s a benefit of the offense/baserunners.
Sure Cole didn’t INTEND to deceive anyone with this one. But maybe the next guy will find a way in a manner we can’t even think if right now.
I think they do. Edwin Diaz stepped off three times in quick succession in the same AB, which is a balk under the new rules. They wound up reversing it because it was he needed the trainer to come out.
but the whole point of the balk rule is trying to deceive the runner.
90% of balk calls happen when a pitcher accidentally twitches, trips, or drops the ball.
Do they not have discretion for this?
There littearly is already.
The rule specifically says the umpire has to deem it deceitful to the runner(s).
Malfunctioning pitch clock should be dead ball immediately.
I get the gripe but he’s wrong. just because the clock shits out doesn’t mean you can flail around with a runner on. it’s a balk. he could’ve just disengaged properly if it bothered him that much.
Idk, I think blaming him for it is kinda goofy.
JD on the Cubs broadcast makes this point all the time, that the part of the rule that says the action must be “to deceive the runner” actually being given proper weight would solve most balk issues.
He’s obviously not trying to deceive anyone here, it’s just a really weird circumstance. Weird circumstances break players out of their typical baseball mindset all the time. Should never be a balk.
If anything one of the umps should have noticed and called time. Aren’t they supposed to be paying attention to the pitch clock?
Did you know the pitch clock is controlled by a guy sitting in a box somewhere holding an Xbox 360 controller? The guy also isn’t even a league employee, he’s just an hourly worker.
https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/1rvv1a5/hogg_everyone_please_pour_one_out_for_my_mans/
It’s always weird seeing an older thread get posted and your own comment near the top.
They get zapped when the clock runs out, they don’t watch it.
Don’t they have to watch to know when there’s 8 seconds left, a la Caballero?
Pitchers are always victims of the sport. Even in retirement. /s
That bugs me too. Umps will call the tiniest, barely noticeable muscle twitch as a balk, which clearly isn’t intentional to try and deceive the runner. Meanwhile dudes like Nestor Cortes and Kevin Gausman with their goofy-ass windup to blatantly throw people off and it’s okay.
Still, you’d figure if you wanted to eliminate all doubt, the proper steps would have been done (step off before making any kind of motion like that).
Yeah, common sense says he wasn’t trying to deceive, but all it’d take is one ump who wants to be a stickler about it
The balk rule isn’t about a pitcher’s intent to deceive, it’s about what the runner sees. I agree this is not as much the pitcher’s fault as most balks are, but that doesn’t mean the runner shouldn’t be awarded the next base.
The balk rule isn’t about a pitcher’s intent to deceive
That’s actually the express purpose of the rule, straight from Rule 8.05:
“Umpires should bear in mind that the purpose of the balk rule is to prevent the pitcher from deliberately deceiving the base runner. If there is doubt in the umpire’s mind, the “intent” of the pitcher should govern.”
But if what Cole did is not a balk, then it allows runners to be intentionally deceived by any pitcher claiming some distraction made them forget to disengage in the correct manner.
I mean, nearly every balk that happens fails to fulfill “intent” in the way you’re interpreting it. It’s not like most balks happen when pitchers are thinking “OK, this is the pitch where I’ll try to cheat” before they balk. The reading of those sentences that aligns with how balks are actually called is slightly different: there are specific disallowed motions that are deceptive, and pitchers cannot deliberately do any of those deceptive motions.
Cole wasn’t blown off the rubber by a gust of wind—he *intent*ionally made the moves he made, and those moves are disallowed, because baserunners are deceived by them.
the balk rule itself is what’s goofy. but still, every pitcher knows it well and knows what you can and can’t do.
The rule is goofy and this is an example of why.
Yes, the pitcher knows in general he can’t disengage that way. But this is a weird, unexpected thing.
Are you saying if a wasp or something flies into the pitcher’s face and he doesn’t think to move his right foot before dodging it or swatting at it that he should’ve known better?
but did a wasp fly into his face? or did a clock that he was watching and knew what time it said suddenly go out with plenty of time to say to himself alright let me step off. I agree it’s dumb but in this scenario its extremely easy to avoid.
Do you not understand what a hypothetical question is?
got a response to go along with the downvote? i’m genuinely curious. help me understand how that scenario is similar to what happened today, where Cole could have easily stepped off or just delivered the pitch. the balk rule is silly, but it’s up to the umpires discretion. although the rule is clear, once you come set your next movement needs to be towards home plate. so enlighten me, please
My man.. it’s not that serious, let’s just step away and look at what you’re arguing about (essentially nothing dude just move on). You’re straight up talking about internet points. We both know that’s embarrassing. Just stop.
nothing to do with points. I was asked a smart ass question and I had one of my own that I guess has no answer. it’s just a discussion. nobody is pressed
why are we talking about hypotheticals instead of talking about what actually happened? that’s what I don’t understand
Would’ve been funnier if he just stood there indefinitely not moving to prove a point.
I wish this is what happened now lol would ump have called a violation?
Umpire should have noticed and called time anyway
Umpire watches the pitcher, not the clock. They have a buzzer that goes off when the clock hits zero and go by that.
Makes sense actually that would be a lot for them to have to keep an eye on at once
Indeed. How else would they know if he’s just up there doing a balk?
Cole comes set! Cole holds it! Holds it! Holds it!
Nah, play should be dead once the clock malfunctions
I agree. If an nba stopped dribbling when the shot clock was broken I wouldn’t expect the referee to call a travel
that’s all well and good until the pitcher throws anyway, and somebody hits a home run only to have it overturned. or something like that
I mean overturning the home run would be the right call, like it or not. Same if the batter GIDP
Exactly you can’t just be up there doin a balk like that
Wouldn’t it be easy to just make it so if the pitch clock goes off it’s a dead play?
He could’ve just fuckin pitched too lol
Can’t say I’ve ever seen that happen. It’s also weird to watch Cole be pretty mature now, when he was a Pirate that would have derailed his whole outing.
I love him, but he’s still a massive crybaby.
See Cole getting shelled and blaming the national anthem singer
Or when he plunked someone for hitting a HR… while rehabbing in the minors.
edit: Not intentional considering it was 60 pitches later, rehabbing and likely just missed.
As i said on that thread. OP cut that deceptively, the HR was 4 innings before that. There was an at bat between. Cole has never been a headhunter, just a crybaby, why change that for a minor leaguer when others like Devers have done way worse to him.
So, he hit a batter, not on his next AB, but his 3rd AB…right…
This was wild when it happened. I remember thinking to myself: “Really!? You’re one of the best in the Majors and you’re going to punch down on a minor leaguer!?”
Tbf i hate they’re interrupting games for a singalong to the anthem mid game now
The only bigger crybaby on this team is Caballero. His theatrical antics at the plate are making a mockery of the game.
Lol Cabby isnt a crybaby, hes a nuisance that wants umpires to explicitly follow the minutiae of a rule he legally exploits. If anything he exposes crybabies like Dennis Santana
The pitch clock was put into place to speed up the game. Which has worked. This does the opposite. This is not baseball. This is a legal soap opera.
Call it correctly and the game doesnt stop
Please explain how Cabby is slowing it down. They are free to use the full clock or get in the box and get set immediately. If he was actually slowing the game down he’d be breaking rules, which he didn’t.
Bro he was right lmao
He’s gotten good at taking more before letting his emotions get to him and limiting the damage when that tipping point does happen, but Cole is still clearly not quite the same when he feels wronged
Yeah, no clue why he wouldn’t disengage normally if he wanted to get their attention. He knows the rules
Clock talk —> Balk
clock balk = calk
That was a balk but it’s really fucking stupid to call it a balk rather than an umpire timeout when the equipment failed. They wouldn’t call a balk if he disengaged improperly when the lights went out.
definitely a balk but also a very infuriating one, if anything the umps should have called time or something idk
glad it didn’t lead to a run so i can just forget that ever happened
Cole finding out they called balk
I get it but just step off dude.
Gerrit, just pitch? If you get called for a pitch clock violation then complain that the clock had turned off.
Pitchers are such insane creatures of habit I don’t think he could deal with the change in the routine 😂
It’s funny because he probably steps off automatically if a beachball lands in the outfield
Why not just step off the rubber??! So weird to me that a man who makes a living doing something and is considered one of the best at it…doesn’t have that reflex to just step off first.
Could’ve just been a brain fart, it’s not like the pitch clock shutting off is a normal occurrence. He was probably confused for a second. My question is, shouldn’t the home plate ump be paying attention to the pitch clock and called time when it went out? Does he get some other kind of signal when it hits zero so he doesn’t look at it? I’m curious.
I think since Cole is set and everything before it shits out, Ump just stops paying attention to it.
Next time he should just hold it indefinitely until one of the umps notices
I think even Reddit can agree that was a balk.
I’m gonna to have to check back in an hour.
Reddit’s opinion on something is worthless.
I understand the rule, but to penalize the Yankees because they didn’t follow the correct process when said process failed is absurd.
I hate to say anything to defend the Yankees (and I am sure you agree) but, yeah… MLB has rules umps follow, but they also have COMMON SENSE to pragmatically enforce those rules.
Step off first bud
It’s against the Yankees so I’ll allow it. It’s against Cole so I’ll double allow it.
Couldn’t have happened to a better guy
It’s interesting to me that all non Yankees fans are like “oh yeah Cole got screwed here” and all Yankees fans are like “wtf is he doing, he knows the rules why not disengage normally?”
You can’t just be up there and just doin’ a balk like that.
Just leave it to the umps Gerrit!
The fix is in against the jankees.
First Caballero now Cole.
You can’t just be up there doing a balk like that
How does a pitcher not just disengage with their back foot like every single time they’ve ever done it in their entire career? It should be muscle memory at that point.
he should have just stepped off first but also thats pretty dumb lol
Either throw the pitch or step off - the same two choices you’ve always had, clock or not.
Somehow this is only the second oddest pitch clock violation that happened in this game
Did he point at it? 👉
Good! Lolol
No balk rules posted? Son, I am disappoint.
Already posted: https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/1v3oway/gerrit_cole_gets_called_for_a_balk_for_trying_to/oz4u86w/
Just make the pitch and let them deal with it after.
I used to watch Johnny Cueto pitch. I don’t understand balks
Well first you can’t get distracted by his long flowing locks.
It’s a balk but I think we should all have the wherewithal of context to determine it probably shouldn’t have been enforced here. Cole had a legit reason to stop play but he should’ve probably stepped off first.
Off topic, the fuck is the organ blasting during the setup? Yankee stadium sound effects have to be the most obnoxious in baseball.
we complain about the sfx all the time
Where is the video of Boone losing his shit?
Why are umpires so determined to ruin the game?
Because they’re being replaced
Ego, mostly.
He could also just have thrown. Don’t need the clock if you throw.
I mean seems stupid in every way, but my gut says FTY, so I’m going with my gut
The umps should have discretion because he clearly isn’t trying to deceive the runner but for the amount of money Cole makes he has to do better.
They do, and this ain’t it. Next ‘oops’ is intentional and ‘Oh I just noticed something’ excuse. It’s enforced even if it’s ‘legit’ because there can be no flirting with that line.
The runner was very deceived here. He had no clue that Cole was stepping off the rubber since his hand broke from the glove .0001 milliseconds before his foot moved. If Cole was a lefty and stepped at an 89 degree angle towards home plate, while looking home, and threw to first, then the runner would’ve known exactly what was happening, and wouldn’t have been deceived at all.
So dumb. Boo the Blue.
If the clock broke, it’s on the ump to fix it, not Cole.
The ump didn’t notice, genius. But I wouldn’t expect critical thinking from a Red Sox fan
Ump didn’t notice, so Cole should’ve taken advantage of it, jackass.
But that thought never came to a loser mind like yours.
Reason number 5000 why new Yankee Stadium sucks
Citi Field and the old stadium were so much better
Umpires really, really have to use common sense here. The fact that the balk call stood is asinine.
Cole really, really has to use common sense here. The fact that he didn’t step off the rubber before breaking his hands is asinine.
No issue with the original umpire making the call… just a major issue with it not being corrected. Once it’s clear why Cole reacted that way, and the umpires get together, the mistake should be acknowledged and the runner should be sent back to 1st. The fact that the umpires refused to own up to their mistake, and let it stand and have a potential impact on the outcome of the game is embarrassing. And I would feel this way if it happened to any team. It’s a league wide issue.