Craig Kimbrel's Intentional Balk Made Me Laugh Way Harder Than It Should've

I feel like I’m becoming that old soul who laughs at the most mundane baseball shit. With that said, I laughed out loud at this. Situationally, what Kimbrel did here makes a lot of sense. The tying run was at the plate, and Kimbrel wanted to avoid having signs stolen by the runner at second, so we allowed that runner to advance to third. It’s unselfish. A wild pitch would’ve scored a run, but ultimately, that run was meaningless anyway.

I’ve tried very hard to get it, but I still don’t completely understand the balk rule. When it’s egregious, I notice it. But there are instances in which guys just have a shoulder twitch, and they’re called for a balk. It’s bizarre. But I do know that dropping the ball on the mound when you go in your windup is a major no-no.

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This isn’t the first time I’ve seen this. Kenley Jansen intentionally balked several years back in a regular season game using the same mindset that Kimbrel used. It worked for the Dodgers back then, and it worked for Kimbrel last night.

I have to say, I did not have court "Craig Kimbrel closing games in October“ on my 2023 baseball bingo card, but this season has been nothing if not unpredictable. Philly took care of business last night. Zack Wheeler was fantastic. They’re one win away from a showdown with the Braves. Kimbrel might only pitch one inning at a time, but he’ll be the last line of defense in that Phillies bullpen. If he can turn the clock back, the Phillies become dangerous.