Editor's note: In the long run it doesn't matter whether, for example, 8.05(a) is deceptive or penal. The main reason to categorize balks is to impress on umpires that more than one type of infraction deserves the call. We've all heard the umpire say: "Well, he didn't try to deceive anybody." Discussing penal and mechanical balks is a way to move umpire thinking away from that elementary — and erroneous — notion.

Mechanic balks

If we accept the premise found in Jim Evans Baseball Rules Annotated that mechanic balks are those that occur when the pitcher doesn't behave as directed in OBR 8.01, then the following qualify as mechanic balks. As always, when discussing balk rules, we assume there's at least one runner.

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