Just last week, Atlanta Braves pitcher Tim Hudson was making his second start back from back surgery and with runners on first and third, he pulled the old fake to third throw to first play. This time it worked. Michael Cuddyer was caught off first base and Hudson took a moment, surprised that the play had worked, before delivering the ball to second baseman Dan Uggla who then couldn’t get Cuddyer at first and everything was exactly as it had been before. It’s one of those plays in a game that doesn’t show up in the box score and is quickly forgotten about; going unmentioned in post-game interviews. But, the fake to third, throw to first move is on the verge of being thrown out of the game by the MLB Rules Committee. I can’t stand it and am not happy about this potential change in the game.
The 31 move is too much of an integral part of the game to just dismiss because it should be considered a balk but hasn’t been since baseball’s existence. Specificaly, the Official Baseball Rules read:
It is possible, with runners on first and third, for the pitcher to step toward third and not throw, merely to bluff the runner back to third; then seeing the runner on first start for second, turn and step toward and throw to first base. This is legal.
For the guys to write that this move was legal and take the time to make that distinction speaks volumes to its place in baseball. Nearly every time a runner is on first and third, the 31 move is implemented…. just in case. As a baserunner, we are taught to watch out for the move and stay on our toes because the pitcher is trying to deceive us.
The logic that the 31 move is trying to deceive the baserunner on first is true. The pitcher has no interest in the guy on third base in the play. That there is deception, by rule, makes the move a balk. I. Don’t. Care. It’s part of the game. Guys bend the rules all the time and the strike zone has been shifted a full 4-6 inches below the Official Rule Book settings. Should baseball implement instant replay, that’s fine. The best should have all the best technology at their disposal and shouldn’t let a season’s worth of hard work come down to human error.
Eradicating the 31 move is another animal altogether. Little Leaguers use the move. It’s a part of the game. What’s next? Banning the pitch out or the intentional walk? Selig would be dumb to change the game like this.
-Sean Morash
