Balk facts for kids

A balk is something that a pitcher does in baseball that is not allowed, or illegal. If a balk happens the umpire will point to the pitcher and yell "balk", and the runners on base get to move up one base. If there are no runners on base, a ball is issued to the batter.

Some ways a balk can happen include;

• The pitcher faking a pitch
• The pitcher throwing the ball to a base where there is no runner.
• Pitching the ball before everyone is ready
• The pitcher takes too long to pitch
• If the pitcher drops the ball, even if he didn't mean too

There are other ways it can happen, but these are the main ones.

Images for kids

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  Bob Shaw holds the major league record for most balks in a single game, five.

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  Mike Hauschild (right) talks to an umpire after having been called for a balk