What You Don't Know About the Hidden Ball Trick - Baseball Rules Academy

The Baseball Explainer on Instagram: "The hidden ball trick is a rare defensive play in baseball where a fielder secretly keeps possession of the ball and tags a runner who believes the play is over. It usually happens after a pickoff attempt or a routine throw back to the infield, when the runner relaxes and steps off the base. For the trick to be legal, the pitcher cannot be on or straddling the pitching rubber without the ball — if he is, it’s a balk. The deception works only if the defense a