Matthew Boyd has mastered the pickoff move. It’s so good, in fact, that it might seem unfair.
The Chicago Cubs left-hander leads MLB with eight pickoffs this year after catching Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg leaning the wrong direction at first base in the fourth inning Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field.
Boyd’s move takes advantage of a relative gray area surrounding balks and pickoff attempts. It’s a move that the 34-year-old veteran has used for the past 24 years, according to a recent story by The Chicago Tribune, and relies on deception by closely resembling Boyd’s typical delivery to the batter at home plate.
“He works hard at that,” Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy told the Tribune. “It’s a skill to learn that and do it the right way. I mean, it’s a huge thing so it just takes time. A lot of guys just don’t want to put in the time it takes. But he’s made an effort, and it’s paid off.”
Where it can be tricky is figuring out whether it’s a balk. Here’s an explanation from MLB.com:
“Once a lefty raises the right foot, he or she must land it toward the direction in which they plan to throw. Picture a line on a 45-degree angle shooting out from the pitcher’s grounded left foot; if he or she is throwing to first, their right foot must land on the left side of that line. If they’re throwing home, that foot must land on the right side of the line.”
Matthew Boyd’s 8 pickoffs this season leads MLB
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After Boyd’s pickoff of Westburg on Saturday, the Orioles’ Mid-Atlantic Sports Network broadcast team of play-by-play announcer Kevin Brown and analyst Ben McDonald wondered whether Boyd was bending the rules with his footwork.
“I don’t know how he’s getting away with this,” McDonald, a former Orioles pitcher, said after MASN cameras showed several replays of Boyd’s pickoff move. “I’m just watching his right foot, and his right foot is not stepping at 45 [degrees]. It’s going more toward home plate than it is anywhere, and yet none of the umpires are calling it a balk.”
“A left-handed pitcher must land the foot toward the direction in which they plan to throw. That’s the 45-degree angle you reference,” Brown replied. “Obviously, it becomes a tough judgment call.”
Brown then pointed out that Boyd has been called for seven balks during his major league career, but just once since the end of the 2019 season. Boyd is the first Cubs pitcher with a pickoff in three straight games.
“You’re telling me that’s a 45-degree angle toward [home plate]? There’s no way,” McDonald said. “But hey, if you can get away with it, you might as well keep doing it.”
Boyd is enjoying a career year after signing with Chicago this offseason, entering Saturday 11-4 with a 2.47 ERA after being named an All-Star for the first time.
Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon.