Balk - Major League Balk Records

Major League Balk Records

• The Major League record for career balks is held by Steve Carlton with 90.
• The Major League record in a single season is held by Dave Stewart, who had 16 balks in 1988 while pitching for the Oakland Athletics.
• The Major League record for the most balks in one game is held by Bob Shaw, who had five balks in a May 4, 1963 game while pitching for the Milwaukee Braves against the Chicago Cubs. Four of the five balks came when the Cubs' Billy Williams was on base: one in the first inning, then three more in the third inning. In the latter frame, Shaw walked Williams, and then proceeded to balk him to second, third and home. Shaw's balks were blamed on his difficulty adjusting to a then-new point of emphasis in the rules: umpires were told to enforce the section of the balk rule strictly that required the pitcher, when going from the stretch to the set position, to come to a complete stop with his hands together for one full second before pitching. The rule had been virtually ignored before.