What does a quick pitch look like? Watch the video!

This week’s official baseball rule is all about the quick pitch.

If the pitcher throws the ball on purpose to surprise the batter, it is a quick pitch.

In the set position, according to Rule 5.07(a)(2), the pitcher must pause after the stretch, holding the ball in both hands in front of his body, and he must come to a complete stop.

This pause gives the batter time to get situated in the batter’s box before the pitch comes. But some pitchers have learned how to throw the ball instantly, without a pause, and before the batter is ready.

A quick pitch is an illegal move. The penalty? It depends. When the quick pitch rule is enforced, there are two possible penalties:

• Runners on base: balk
• No runners on base: ball

However, there can be harsher and much more dangerous consequences of a quick pitch. A quick pitch puts a batter’s safety at risk. It may seem like an advantage to throw the ball without waiting and catch the batter off guard, hoping for a strike, but if the batter isn’t ready in the batter’s box, the quick-throwing pitcher runs the severe risk of hitting – and injuring – the inattentive batter.

Rich Marazzi’s Insider Report discusses a bench-clearing brawl set off by a quick pitch in a 2015 MLB game, and he offers some surprising advice to coaches and players about how to handle the quick pitch. Read the rest of his report here.Want an insider’s perspective?

The Quick Pitch: Illegal and Dangerous

Read the rest of the rule:
Official Baseball Rule 5.07(a) The Set Position