League Presidents Defend Strict Enforcement of Balk Rule
National League President Bart Giamatti and AL President Bobby Brown Wednesday defended the strict enforcement of the balk rule, which has accounted for a record number of infractions and received criticism from players and managers.
“Last winter, the Rules Committee of Major League Baseball made two rule changes and one rule clarification,” the league presidents said in a joint statement. “All have been approved by the Major League Baseball Players Assn. for the 1988 season.
“The one rule clarification concerns the balk rule. This is not a new rule. The rule is the same as it has always been.
“There is, however, new language designed to express more clearly the intent of the standing rule.”
The new language specifies that the pitcher must bring has hands to a full stop before pitching the ball. Pitchers have had difficulty adjusting to the new enforcement.
“There is no change in the rule,” the statement said. “The umpires are doing their job as they should.”
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