re: Explain the balk

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Not the rule but why the pitcher kept throwing to first. Beloso has not stolen a base all year.

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Just a guess -- Notice the LEFT HANDED pitcher used a high leg kick. Often runners go on first movement, i.e., as soon as the pitcher lifts his forward leg. Other than Maury Wills, I think everyone believes that it's harder to steal second against a left handed pitcher because you cannot just go on first movement of left handed pitcher because of his ability to use the high leg kick.

I'm thinking that Oregon thought that LSU was going to run the squeeze play (NOT the safety squeeze) and they were hoping that the runner on third would take off on the left handed pitcher's first movement, i.e., when he lifted his forward foot. The pitcher would then throw the ball to first and the first basement would simply throw the ball home and catch the runner on third going home. So, it had nothing to do with Beloso stealing the base but hoping the runner on third took off on first movement to get a jump.

Unfortunately for Oregon, not all of their player were on the same page.

I thought that it was a balk on two accounts. First, the first basement taking off and not being on the base, and, therefore, the pitcher did not throw to the base. Second, it looks like to me that the pitcher bent his knee in before (or simultaneously with) lifting his forward foot. In doing so, he must go to the plate. In order to go to first base, a left handed pitcher using a high leg kick must keep his back leg straight and go straight "up" with his forward leg - otherwise he is deemed to be "deceiving" the runner.

Looking at the reaction of Beloso, the first base coach, and the ump, I think it was the second violation that the ump was actually calling.

Just my $.02.

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The pitcher shall be charged with a balk if, while in contact with the rubber, he throws to a fielder who is either in front of or behind first or third base and obviously not making an attempt at retiring the runner at that base," the rule states.

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Yep. I'm admittedly baseball retarded but when Ben McDonald saw the replay with the 1b in view, he yelled out something like this.
"Oh he was crashing. Yep, That's a balk right there. What was he thinking? Pitch the ball!"

Then it made sense to me.

I'm just glad it was a blatant balk and not some shite Oregon fans and players can bitch about.

They were trying to get Thompson to tip his hand with bunt.
Balk was called because pitcher made a continuous move to throw to a player not in a base. It would not have been a ball if the pitcher would have stepped off the rubber and then threw.

The first baseman was not on the bag. Referring to the fielder, not the base runner.

That’s not why the balk was called

Look at the pitcher set his foot down, stumble and open up before he threw the ball. That’s why the balk was called

Which is true but the stumbling and opening up was done before he threw the ball. Which means that was the balk. It doesn’t matter what happened after the balk. Like in a courtroom the throw didn’t actually happen because the balk already happened.

The throws to first were so limp, they couldn’t possible read what Thompson was actually going to do. I wondered why a pinch runner didn’t replace Beloso as soon as he got on first