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.
https://twitter.com/PavlovicNBCS/status/1422749101712723976
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.
