Controversial Balk Call Costs Guardians In Loss To Angels

The Cleveland Guardians lost 2-1 to the Los Angeles Angels after Tanner Bibee called for back-to-back balks.

One of the age-old questions in baseball is, "What is a balk?" 

The MLB rule book defines it as "when a pitcher makes an illegal motion on the mound that the umpire deems to be deceitful to the runner(s). As a result, any men on base are awarded the next base, and the pitch (if it was thrown in the first place) is waved off for a dead ball."

However, the consistency in how this is called is what the problem is. This came up as the Cleveland Guardians took on the Los Angeles Angels in their series finale on Sunday afternoon.

Tanner Bibee was on the mound and was locked in for the entire game. However, the third inning is the one we're looking into here. Kyren Paris singled and made it to first base with just one out looking to come around and score which would break a 1-1 tie. 

He was quickly awarded second base and then third base after second base umpire Pat Hoberg called back-to-back balks on Bibee.

Bibee was visibly frustrated and even had to be held back by Andres Gimenez and was lucky not to be ejected from the game. Terry Francona and Carl Willis each came out of the dugout searching for an explanation but didn't get the answer they hoped for.

Cleveland's pitching coach continued to shout at the umpire crew from the dugout after the play.

Of course, Paris ended up scoring making it a 2-1 ball game which would also be the final score.

Sep 10, 2023; Anaheim, California, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Tanner Bibee (61) interacts with the umpire after a balk call during the third inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports

Sep 10, 2023; Anaheim, California, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Tanner Bibee (61) reacts to a balk call by the umpire during the third inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports

The problem with all of this is that there's no consistency in the call or in the rule. Bibee has been doing this same move the entire season and no umpire has warned him for it until it was called twice in a row today. 

If it's a balk that's fine but the umpire should be calling it every time he does it so there isn't any confusion leading to situations such as this one. Instead, it's left up to an official discretion. 

Sep 10, 2023; Anaheim, California, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Tanner Bibee (61) reacts to a balk call by the umpire during the third inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports

Tito complimented Bibee for his composure following the incident. He went on to pitch 7.0 innings, with eight strikeouts and didn't walk a single batter. Francona went on to say:

"I was trying to explain to (Hoberg). He said (Bibee) is stopping twice, but not only has this crew already had him already, he had four pitches and two were balks, and two they were the exact same. I felt bad for Bibee because that a hard way to compete."

It's unfortunate that this one call is what decided the game and Bibee took the loss because of it. He pitched another gem as he continues to make a strong case for the American League MVP.

MLB's new rules have been an overwhelming success, but they also need to fix calls such as this one to make the game even better.