Rule sets / OBR / Quick-Pitch Balk
A pitcher may not deliver a pitch before the batter is reasonably set in the box. Doing so is a balk.
If there is a runner, or runners, it is a balk when the pitcher makes an illegal pitch.
Rule 6.02(a)(5) Comment: A quick pitch is an illegal pitch. Umpires will judge a quick pitch as one delivered before the batter is reasonably set in the batter’s box. With runners on base the penalty is a balk; with no runners on base, it is a ball. The quick pitch is dangerous and should not be permitted.
A QUICK RETURN pitch is one made with obvious intent to catch a batter off balance. It is an illegal pitch.
TODO: describe the Quick-Pitch Balk in plain English.
TODO: explain the rationale — what the rule is protecting against.
TODO: what the pitcher should do differently.