If it looks like a balk, walks like a balk, and fools everyone like a balk, shouldn’t it be called in an MLB Game?
Apparently not, if you’re Matthew Boyd.
The Chicago Cubs’ veteran lefty has managed to avoid a single balk call all season, despite using a pickoff move that many say stretches the definition of “legal.” On Friday, the 34-year-old only added to the debate by throwing seven shutout innings against the Baltimore Orioles, lowering his ERA to 2.34, and nabbing his league-leading eighth pickoff of the year.
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MLB Broadcasters and Fans Aren’t Buying It
Boyd’s move has been drawing side-eye from analysts and broadcast booths for months. During Friday’s game, Orioles announcers Kevin Brown and Ben McDonald became the latest voices to question whether Boyd is skirting the rules.
“You could make the case where he stepped, that’s a balk,” McDonald said. “He stepped more toward home plate than first base.”
“Amazingly, he hasn’t been called for a balk all year,” Brown added.
And yet, umpires keep letting it slide, including in the first inning Friday when Boyd nearly caught Gunnar Henderson with what looked like a borderline move. Later in the game, he successfully picked off Jordan Westburg with the same questionable footwork.
According to the MLB rulebook, a balk occurs when a pitcher, while on the rubber, fails to step directly toward a base before throwing to it. Boyd’s technique appears to flirt with that line almost every time. And to some, he’s been crossing it.
He’s not just drawing scrutiny in Baltimore. Back in May, Mets announcer Gary Cohen voiced similar concerns. This happened during a Cubs-Mets broadcast on Roku’s MLB Sunday Leadoff, calling Boyd’s pickoffs “balks every single time.”
But the umpires haven’t budged.
Maybe Boyd has perfected the art of dancing right up to the rule without crossing it. Or maybe MLB umpires have decided the gray area isn’t worth policing. Either way, Boyd is succeeding and unless someone finally makes the call, he has no reason to stop.
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