New Balk Rule

Each season, the rules of baseball are re-evaluated and modified. With the modern materials available and new manufacturer techniques these days, most of the rules are changed for the sole purpose of safety. This year there have been changes to a variety of book rules. I have been asked to explain the changes made to “The Balk”. Since we covered the balk last year, let’s take a quick refresher so we have a base to start from.

As defined in the 2.00 section of the rule book:

A BALK is an illegal act by the pitcher with a runner or runners on base, entitling all runners to advance one base.

The...