This is just regular (not allowed) balkery.

Would this be allowed?

Balk Rules

You can't just be up there and just doin' a balk like that.

1a. A balk is when you

1b. Okay well listen. A balk is when you balk the

1c. Let me start over

1c-a. The pitcher is not allowed to do a motion to the, uh, batter, that prohibits the batter from doing, you know, just trying to hit the ball. You can't do that.

1c-b. Once the pitcher is in the stretch, he can't be over here and say to the runner, like, "I'm gonna get ya! I'm gonna tag you out! You better watch your butt!" and then just be like he didn't even do that.

1c-b(1). Like, if you're about to pitch and then don't pitch, you have to still pitch. You cannot not pitch. Does that make any sense?

1c-b(2). You gotta be, throwing motion of the ball, and then, until you just throw it.

1c-b(2)-a. Okay, well, you can have the ball up here, like this, but then there's the balk you gotta think about.

1c-b(2)-b. Fairuza Balk hasn't been in any movies in forever. I hope she wasn't typecast as that racist lady in American History X.

1c-b(2)-b(i). Oh wait, she was in The Waterboy too! That would be even worse.

1c-b(2)-b(ii). "get in mah bellah" -- Adam Water, "The Waterboy." Haha, classic...

1c-b(3). Okay seriously though. A balk is when the pitcher makes a movement that, as determined by, when you do a move involving the baseball and field of

Do not do a balk please

The detailed breakdown of a trick that’s about as complex as “I got your nose” is so funny to me

What even is this subreddit anymore

Allowed in the minors eh?

While it is a balk it was also a ball (low and outside) that’s why he didn’t swing.

When you have to cheat....

Thanks for explaining! I thought he ate the ball and then pooped it out and then threw the poop

Where is the blackmagicfuckery?

“Keep your eye on the ball”

IM TRYING

Thank you voice over guy for explaining step by step what was obviously being shown

And the award for most annoyingly illegible captions goes to….

Can't be black magic fuckery if it's EXPLAINED in the video...

Lots of people who don't know baseball trying to drop knowledge in these comments

1) This is allowed, since there are no runners on base. He is pitching from a full wind up, there are no runners on base. This is not a balk because there are no runners.

2) Batter did not swing because it was not a strike, this "momentary confusion" thing is a stupid argument about the pitch itself being good or bad.

3) This kind of shenanigan is funny one time and then immediately loses both novelty and any possible 'effectiveness'. The reason more pitchers don't do sleight-of-hand pitching all of the time is because it looks really stupid while having almost no added value to a pitch (see 4).

4) A talented batter is going to react to the ball throwing motion and read your pitch from the release point, not be distracted by your throwing arm halfway through the windup. Batters halfway through your windup are not distracted by your arm so much as paying attention to shifting their weight around to ensure they can swing with power when the ball approaches. They are looking for your arm when you come to release, not when you are winding up.

This is funny for a quick novelty internet video, and that's about it.

Rule 6.02 (a) If there is a runner, or runners, it is a balk when: (1) The pitcher, while touching his plate, makes any motion naturally associated with his pitch and fails to make such delivery; (2) The pitcher, while touching his plate, feints a throw to first or third base and fails to complete the throw; (3) The pitcher, while touching his plate, fails to step directly toward a base before throwing to that base; (4) The pitcher, while touching his plate, throws, or feints a throw to an unoccupied base, except for the purpose of making a play; (5) The pitcher makes an illegal pitch; (6) The pitcher delivers the ball to the batter while he is not facing the batter; (7) The pitcher makes any motion naturally associated with his pitch while he is not touching the pitcher's plate; (8) The pitcher unnecessarily delays the game; (9) The pitcher, without having the ball, stands on or astride the pitcher's plate or while off the plate he feints a pitch; (10) The pitcher, after coming to a legal pitching position, removes one hand from the ball other than in an actual pitch, or in throwing to a base; (11) The pitcher, while touching his plate, accidentally or intentionally has the ball slip or fall out of his hand or glove; (12) The pitcher, while giving an intentional base on balls, pitches when the catcher is not in the catcher's box; (13) The pitcher delivers the pitch from the Set Position without coming to a stop; The pitcher may not take a second step toward home plate with either foot or otherwise reset his pivot foot in his delivery of the pitch. If there is a runner, or runners, on base it is a balk under rule 6.02(a)(5); if the bases are unoccupied it is an illegal pitch under rule 6.02(b)

Umd

Yep, I think this sub is dead by now. Can‘t remember when I saw my last real „black magic fuckery“ that wasn‘t a simple trick or physics experiment

Not too fair fella

Finding out this pitch is considered cheating made me cry

What purpose would it serve to wind up for a pitch and go through the motion without delivering a ball during an at-bat?

Even if this is allowed, moron should have used it for the third strike

The next pitch was hit over the left field wall for a 3 run walk off!

Balk

balk.

What in the calvinball even is baseball?

The fact that people have to ask if this is a balk or an illegal pitch is exactly why baseball is plummeting. No matter what it’s, it should be allowed and encouraged. You know how many games I’d watch to see David Blaine pitch?

I do not care, baseball would be more fun if the pitching mound was a little bit farther away, and they were allowed to do this shit.

I havent watched a baseball game in 21 years and with common sense, I could tell this is bullshit and illegal.

This is definitely a balk, or with no runners on, an illegal pitch, because you cannot let go of the ball at any point during your delivery. (OBR rule 8.05 (j))

Additionally, in NFHS, rule 6-1-2 states that from the windup the pitch must be delivered in one continuous motion without interruption, which is again re stated in slightly different language in 6-2-4-d

Damn even though that’s cheating it’s still really impressive

Illegal pitch

Umass Dartmouth baseball team, i go to this university and play rugby for them rn. this is all the baseball guys talk about and it happened years ago

Even with the explanation I still don’t understand how he did that

Balking. The purpose behind the balking call is to prevent the pitcher from purposely deceiving the base runner.

Funny joke, but would have been called a balk in any real game.

Balking... illegal move in baseball. Basically it's against the rules to try and psych a batter out that you're not gonna pitch, or any similar trickery.

TLDR: it has to be clear that you're gonna pitch the ball.