Fast Pitch Pitching Call
Question
I have a girl on my team who has been pitching for about two years presenting the ball the same way in which she brings the ball forward and touches the end of her glove, then goes into the pitch. Only one umpire has called her on an illegal pitch for it saying she has to bring the ball completely into her glove. Is this really illegal?
Answer
Hi Kristy,
The rule states the pitcher must hold the ball in both hands....
The question is, is she holding the ball in both hands merely by touching the end of her glove. Since the glove is an extension of her hand and she holds it at least 1 sec I would say yes. However she may run (and has) into umpires who call an illegal pitch. If I were her I'd make it a little more obvious by taking the ball a little more into the glove. It will have no effect on her pitch.
Mark
Off base
Stealing when pitcher has ball