See something new every day. A balk on the catcher: pic.twitter.com/HRBMXKvnkX
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) August 4, 2021
Did you know a catcher could be called for a balk? Neither did we.
Yet that’s what happened in the second inning of Tuesday’s Giants-Diamondbacks game on Tuesday, when catcher Curt Casali stopped a rolling ball using his mask. That’s a violation Rule 5.06 (b)(3)(E) which states that a player cannot deliberately touch a pitched ball with his cap, mask or any part of his uniform detached from its proper place on his person.
Technically, it’s not a “catcher’s balk” as the official scorer in Arizona ruled it, though awarding Asdrúbal Cabrera a base was correct according to the rule book. Buster Posey had the proper reaction as the call was being explained to the Giants.
Me, reading through the MLB rulebook to figure out what a catcher's balk is pic.twitter.com/u3sYeuCypO
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) August 4, 2021
Apparently this has happened before. Here’s a video (H/T Andrew Baggarly) that shows Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez violating the rule in 2018.
