In Part I of a five-part article on balks, we'll discuss some of the history and reasoning of the balk rule and describe the basic "types" of balks. In Part II we will discuss the types of balk in more detail, actions by the pitcher that result in a balk, and specific interpretations of the balk rule.

It is strange that one of the most detailed rules in the Official Rules of Baseball remains one of the most misunderstood in both effect and tradition. Many coaches and even some umpires place blame for their misunderstanding of the balk rule on the "fact" that it is relatively new to the game and just hinders good gamesmanship.

Continued...