Why are there soo many balks!!!!!

[jpeters1734]

Now that I have your attention, I'm not really upset. Just confused. It seems like there are way too many balks in this game. I've been playing out every game for several seasons and there seems to be a balk every few games. My league total modifier is at the default, 1.000. Of course, I can lower that, but why are they happening so much?

Is there any way to see balk stats? I found a chart that has MLB balk totals charted and most years are around 100-150. I'm seeing them every few games with just the games I'm playing.

https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/co...n_1914present/

[jpeters1734]

I figured out how to find team balks. My league is on pace for 368 balks for the season. It would make for the 2nd highest balk total in MLB history. I'll just set my modifier at .4 and call it a day

[LansdowneSt]

The 2002 MLB quickstart has .632 as the modifier.

[nutt]

Just curious....what season had the most balks?

[LansdowneSt]

1988 by far, click the link in the first post

[nutt]

Originally Posted by LansdowneSt

1988 by far, click the link in the first post

When I was looking it up it seems they were calling balks like crazy that year. Charlie Hough had nine in one game, including seven in one inning alone. Not sure if it was a Spring Training game or an Exhibition. Dave Stewart had 16 that year.

[Pdubya64]

That trips a memory from back then; wasn't there some sort of rule or rule-interpretation change or perhaps pitching change that was a major kerfuffle in the MLB?
There were pitchers getting called for balks all over the place, then getting tossed for losing their s**t.

Well, that's my fuzzy recollection, which isn't saying much.

[LansdowneSt]

Originally Posted by Pdubya64

That trips a memory from back then; wasn't there some sort of rule or rule-interpretation change or perhaps pitching change that was a major kerfuffle in the MLB?
There were pitchers getting called for balks all over the place, then getting tossed for losing their s**t.

Well, that's my fuzzy recollection, which isn't saying much.

A change in Rule 8.01(b). The phrase “complete stop” was switched to “single complete and discernible stop, with both feet on the ground.

[brotherblues]

oops

[Bobbyraz49]

Technically a balk should be called on every pitch. Why you ask ??? Well, the pitcher is supposed to have one foot on the rubber when he releases the pitch. Just something I stumbled upon.
Hope this makes your day...... LOL

[jg2977]

I've seen playoff games in my dynasty end on balk-offs several times.

[The Game]

Edit: I misspoke on this. Don't know why in my mind I knew we were talking about Balks but I had WP on my mind. Otani has led the league with 32 WP last season not Balks. Balks on 22 and so far on 23 are around once a week for my teams.

[BBGiovanni]

I've turned the modifier down in almost every recent edition, I don't know if it is or isn't realistic but it's been too much for my taste. Same for WP/PB.

[Sweed]

I used to write down my OOTP final season stats and compared them to my League Totals (IE expected stats). I quit doing that years ago because a quick visual check was enough to see they were all fine.

With the advent of autocalc these numbers have typically been good in my games. Autocalc has my balk LTM at .483 in v23. In v22 it is .493. That is a typical LTM in all versions I have autocalced. I have never seen a balk LTM anywhere near 1.000 using autocalc.

I can't say for sure about the first year or two of autocalc but, for me, autocalc has made the balk numbers always come out reasonably close. Keep in mind balks are a small number so any fluctuation is magnified in the percentages. IOW I normally find +\- 5% stats acceptable. Balks can be a bit farther off and still be ok, IMHO.

I did find one of my old notebooks and here are some numbers I recorded a few versions\years ago.

Expected \ OOTP

146/121
146/213
146/137
146/118
146/114

These numbers are from v16-v18. After this, as noted, I quit writing them all down.

[md40022]

Given the astronomically high amount of pick-offs in OOTP23 it would only make sense that there be a ridiculous number of balks as well.

[Cod]

Originally Posted by LansdowneSt

1988 by far, click the link in the first post

That year should be ignored from the chart honestly as it is a complete anomaly. After the 1988 season, I believe the rules were reverted back to pre-1987 rules.

[kq76]

Recently I watched a video on all the different reasons balks can be called. I'm surprised umps don't call more.

The section in the rulebook that deals with balks is 6.02a.

Originally Posted by Bobbyraz49

Technically a balk should be called on every pitch. Why you ask ??? Well, the pitcher is supposed to have one foot on the rubber when he releases the pitch. Just something I stumbled upon.
Hope this makes your day...... LOL

Are you getting that from 6.02a7's "The pitcher makes any motion naturally associated with his pitch while he is not touching the pitcher’s plate"? I suppose you could take that away from it, but I took that to mean you can't pitch while not starting on the plate. Of course you have to touch it before, but I've never heard that you have to still be touching it at release. I slowmo'd some pitching highlights and I was surprised how many seemed to be still touching the plate as the pitch was released, but others did have their pivot foot sliding off the plate at release.

Legal Pitch Delivery is section 5.07a.

[Cod]

Originally Posted by kq76

Are you getting that from 6.02a7's "The pitcher makes any motion naturally associated with his pitch while he is not touching the pitcher’s plate"? I suppose you could take that away from it, but I took that to mean you can't pitch while not starting on the plate. Of course you have to touch it before, but I've never heard that you have to still be touching it at release. I slowmo'd some pitching highlights and I was surprised how many seemed to be still touching the plate as the pitch was released, but others did have their pivot foot sliding off the plate at release.

Legal Pitch Delivery is section 5.07a.

This is correct. Technically, the rule never mentions the pivot foot disengaging from the rubber, except to make a throw to a base in a pickoff attempt or reset. Where it gets interesting is the statement that a pitcher's delivery motion must be without alteration. Like a lot of baseball rules, determining whether a delivery motion is altered or not is a judgement call.

[Syd Thrift]

Originally Posted by Cod

That year should be ignored from the chart honestly as it is a complete anomaly. After the 1988 season, I believe the rules were reverted back to pre-1987 rules.

More than that, most of those calls were made in April and early May. Then the leagues got together and told umpires to just call them like before again.

[byzeil]

Originally Posted by jpeters1734

Now that I have your attention, I'm not really upset. Just confused. It seems like there are way too many balks in this game. I've been playing out every game for several seasons and there seems to be a balk every few games. My league total modifier is at the default, 1.000. Of course, I can lower that, but why are they happening so much? [/URL]

Don't know how you created the league but when I create a default 2022 season balks are set to .632. I don't think for a realistic stats output the 1.000 is the defaul for most things. Here are the league total modifiers for out of the box MLB 2022.