Over this past offseason Major League Baseball did something horrible, something blasphemous, something so terrible I haven’t been able to bring myself to write about it until now: they outlawed the fake-to-third, throw-to-first pickoff move.

It will now be ruled a balk, and the sun probably won’t come up tomorrow because of it.

Seriously though, the decision by MLB was probably the most popular decision they’ve made in years with the baseball media establishment, and according to Joe Torre, a large majority of the managers.

Baseball journalists have been complaining for as long as I can remember about the fake-to-third move, whining that it’s meant to deceive the runner, or bemoaning the fact that it slows the game down, or arguing that it’s useless because it rarely succeeds at picking anyone off.

I’ll get to the complaints of the press a little bit later, but first I want to focus on the one group who did not want to see the move outlawed: the players.

Yep, last year MLB proposed the rule change to the players union, and it was resoundingly voted down. MLB was forced to use a clause in the labor agreement with the players union to unilaterally change the rule this past winter without the players consent.

Michael Weiner, executive director of the union, told the New York Times that “there are more traditionalists among the players than a lot of people assume. In their view, they said, ‘What’s the point in getting rid of it?’ ”

You know what the players union also has a lot off? Right-handed pitchers; and right-handed pitchers loved the fake-to-third, throw-to-first move more than they love their own mothers.

Let me explain.

Back in my glorious younger years I was a right-handed pitcher. I remember practices, early in high school, when the coaches would round up all the pitchers and go over pick-off moves with us. They would go over pickoff mechanics, what constituted a balk, but most importantly they would show us how to skirt the rules as much as possible to develop effective pickoff moves.

However, the problem is that for right-handed pitchers there really wasn’t a way we could skirt the rules like the lefties could. The vast majority of pickoffs throws at any level always go to first base. A leftie going to first base is allowed to go into their leg kick, like they’re going to deliver the ball towards the plate, and as long as their front leg never breaks forward they can instead step sideways and throw to first base. The runner at first is forced to freeze until he’s sure the pitcher is going to the plate with the ball. This is why every pitcher who has ever had a devastating pickoff move has been left-handed.

Righties, on the other hand, can do nothing of the sort. If we want to throw over to first base we have to either step off the rubber or spin backwards towards the bag before throwing. Once our foot is on the rubber we can’t even turn our shoulders to check the runner at first. We’re forced to strain our necks, and attempt to size up the runner’s lead from corner of our eye.

When it comes to pickoff moves to first, lefties get to have all the fun.

But the fake-to-third, throw-to-first move was all ours. Lefties couldn’t have that one. So what it didn’t succeed in picking runners off nearly as often as a left-hander’s move to first did? It was still the best tool we had for keeping baserunners close to the bag at first.

It was a fun move too- it was like doing a little two-step out on the pitcher’s mound. The fact that it could be used to pick someone off was almost beside the point.

These aren’t just the ramblings of a failed right-handed pitcher, bitter that he never picked anyone off in high school- Justin Verlander, the best right-handed pitcher currently alive feels the same way. Michigan Live reported last week that Verlander had some choice words for the rule change:

“Of course I’m opposed to it,” Verlander said. “Any time they take anything away from pitchers, which seems to be the common thing the past 15 years, I’m opposed.”

“It happens once or twice a game. It might speed up the game by 15 seconds. Yay!” he said sarcastically. “Job well done.”

Well said, Justin. Well said.

And he’s right. It doesn’t speed up the game- which was one of the justifications for the rule change. How much time is saved if a pitcher spins and throws to first, as opposed to faking a throw to third before going to first? Fractions of a second?

Another common refrain from the baseball punditry was echoed by Mike Axisa of CBS Sports:

“Technically, the fake-to-third, throw-to-first move was always a balk because the pitcher was intending to deceive. The call was very rarely made, though.”

If Mr. Axisa had bothered to read the rule book he would know that there is nothing that says that a balk is about deceiving the runner. The rule book outlines 13 different motions that would constitute a balk, and as longtime MLB umpire, Ted Barrett, told the New York Times: “either the pitcher did one of those 13 things, or he didn’t.”

If a pickoff move intending to deceive was technically a balk, as Axsia claims, left-handed pitchers would be called for a balk every time they threw over to first! I mean, if people were really concerned about pitchers deceiving hitters they should be arguing that the pitcher- right-handers and left-handers- should always have to step off the rubber before throwing to the base; but no one is making that argument.

Lastly, the argument that the move rarely succeeded in picking anyone off misses the point. Pickoffs attempts, in general, are rarely intended to actually pick anyone off. When you see a pitcher throw over to first base he’s usually just trying to keep the runner close to the base in case he tries to steal, or to make sure the runner doesn’t get a good jump if the ball is put in play. A pitcher might also throw to first or third to disrupt the flow of the game in an attempt to get the batter at plate out of rhythm. You can’t judge a pickoff move’s effectiveness by its success rate.

I hope the MLB rule change doesn’t trickle down to other levels of baseball, rendering every right-handed pitcher’s favorite pickoff move completely extinct. That would be a damn shame.