Alright, so I kept hearing about this “disengagement violation” thing in Major League Baseball. Honestly, at first, I kinda just ignored it. Sounded like another complicated rule change, you know? But then I started watching games, and commentators kept bringing it up, especially when runners were on base.
I decided I needed to figure this out myself, just by watching. So, I started paying real close attention to the pitchers. What were they doing when a guy was on first? Lots of looking over, stepping off the rubber, sometimes faking a throw, sometimes actually throwing over.
My first attempts were messy. I couldn’t always tell what counted as a “disengagement.” Was stepping off one? Was a pickoff throw one? It seemed confusing. I saw pitchers throw over multiple times, and nothing happened. Then sometimes, suddenly, it was a violation? I was scratching my head a bit.
So, I focused harder during a few specific games. I practically glued my eyes to the pitcher and the runners. I started noticing a pattern. It seemed like there was a limit. A pitcher couldn’t just step off or throw over endlessly. It looked like they got maybe two “freebies” – step-offs or pickoff attempts that didn’t result in an out.
Okay, Seeing it Happen Helped
Then I finally saw it called clearly. A pitcher, I think he was already on his second step-off or throw, tried another pickoff move to first base. The runner just went right back standing. Suddenly, the umpire made a call – balk! The runner got to just trot down to second base. Free bag!
That’s when it clicked for me. It wasn’t just about stepping off; it was about the number of times. You step off or throw over a third time in the same plate appearance (unless you actually get the runner out or the runner advances), and boom, it’s a violation, basically a balk.
- First time I saw it: Pitcher threw over, runner safe. Okay.
- Second time: Pitcher stepped off. Okay.
- Third time: Pitcher threw over again, runner safe again. Umpire points to second. Violation!
Watching that happen live made more sense than reading some dry rule explanation. You see the pitcher push his luck, try one too many times to keep the runner close, and pay the price.
Now when I watch, I actually count those disengagements in my head sometimes, especially in tight situations late in the game. It adds a whole layer of strategy, doesn’t it? The pitcher has to be way more careful, maybe gives the runner a bit more of an edge to steal. It definitely changed the dynamic on the basepaths from what I can tell just watching.
So yeah, that was my process. No fancy analysis, just watching a bunch of baseball and finally seeing the rule in action. Took a bit, but I feel like I get what that disengagement violation is all about now, just from observing the games myself.
