Laz Diaz Calls Nestor Cortes for Quick Pitch, But For a Needlessly Complex Reason: Keep it Simple! 

It would appear Nestor's delivery clipped from the 1st inning at 0:24 also features a toe-tapping step off/step on movement. For that point about consistency at 5:25.

I appreciate the consistency in your attire for the Nestor videos 😂

This is the best baseball RU-vid channel by far, IMHO. I look forward to every video.

Had not heard the lizard/elephant example - we've always said - don't go fishing for minnows, only catch the muskies

Lindsey should be an MLB umpire.

It may not be in the rulebook, but MLB issued a statement that going forward a fake pitch, like Cortes', is to be called an illegal pitch.

Great explanation. Even when I don't necessarily agree with some of your interpretations I enjoy your videos. Thanks

was waiting for this video

Great explanation and remedy. Thanks CCS

I'm on the pitcher's side here. The difference or time gap between alert and reasonably set is kind of arbitrary. I feel like some batters never stop moving the bat UNTIL the pitcher starts his motion. But for the pitcher's sake I hope they start calling more of his nonsense illegal pitches. Eveything he's doing is pretty stupid. He's only making himself less effective. Timing disruptions are a real tool for pitchers to use. I've been watching Trevor Bauer's YT channel and his break downs of his starts. He uses a full windup, a leg kick and a slide step. The difference between the slowest and fastest delivery is 1 second or less. Thats all the timing disruption needed. Not doing something like looks like interpretive dance lol

Semi related question if you have a moment to answer: When I was just a year or two into umpiring, I got an umpire chief who was a total hardass. Everything by the book. To the point where every time a pitcher brought their pitching hand to the mouth he added a ball to the count. I never read that rule, and I’ve never seen anyone else in more than a decade since call that. Is it even a rule?

Very well explained. Thank you Lindsay.

Umps need to start issuing a don’t do that to him and calling him for the quick pitches. He knows what he is doing and it needs to end.

Batter was alert and set. I believe Laz even knows the batter is set. Which is why he went with saying he disengaged with the rubber. All be it was a beat after the bat was raised the batter is aware and prepared for the pitch.

Interesting. So, then Spencer Strider might be the only pitcher (or at least the only one I can think of) that never loses contact with the rubber in his wind up. He starts with his plant foot parallel with the rubber. So, could a pitcher in the stretch also be called for a quick pitch on a slide step to the plate? If that pitcher lifts his leg one on pitch, then slide steps on the next pitch? I have never seen or heard of that happening to a pitcher, but based on the wording of the rule, it would make sense if that would be called.

Keeping the foot on the rubber while pivoting seems like the rule in soccer where a goalkeeper has to have both feet on the line at the time of a penalty kick. No one does it, and whenever some eager-beaver official starts calling it, they have to call it three, four times in a row because the players don't know how to do it any other way.

Excellent call, the giveaway is Díaz isn’t even set himself.

Sorry Yanks, but I really hate Nasty Nestor. He's always pushing the limits with his delivery motion, playing mind games, etc. I suppose I'd find all the trickery amusing if I were a NYY fan. But as it is, I can't stand it and am glad some umps have the balls to call him out.

Thank you Lindsay for helping me understand these new rules in baseball 🎉

I think this pitcher is being super creative, he’s just trying to push the boundary of the rules. As for the quick-pitch, the batter was set and ready to go, therefore the pitch should have been legal. Pitcher is just mixing up his timing is all.

Why is Cortez even arguing? He knows exactly what he did smh.

Every time I see a Nestor Cortez highlight I think of like a 7 year old pitcher who thinks he's clever and has figured out a way to get strikes his arm won't earn.

I’m sure if the umpires could clearly and concisely explain with reference to the rules, the arguments would be a lot simpler.

How in the world did Nestor get this far in his career doing crap like this?

A quick pitch is a judgement call. We are not all going to agree, but if his quick pitch is going to be called then should the pitch before since they are both meant to disrupt timing.

2:18 Did he, or did he not pick up his pivot foot, causing him to disengage the rubber, then re-engage before throwing the pitch?

What I don't see is what defines this as quick as opposed to perfectly timed. The batter does his bat windup, has it in position, pauses there briefly and then the pitch. That looks like it should be reasonably set, so what makes this early rather than perfectly timed?

If he's already been told don't do it then it is illegal.

could that consider be a balk by cortes

Love your content, Lindsay! Question: is there any further definition of “off balance”? My thought is…all pitchers are trying to catch a batter off balance. In this instance, the batter was locked in, in his full hitting position, and…Nestor got him! The *effect* is almost exactly like throwing a fastball after a changeup. Timing is way off and the batter is caught…off balance. For me, “off balance” would include things like “hasn’t put his second foot down while getting into the batters box”, or “is setting himself in the box and taking a breath while looking at his bat”, things like that. Because otherwise, Nestor could start the game with that “quick pitch” motion, throw 2-3 like that, claim that’s his natural motion, and then mix it up the rest of the game with his other more traditional motions.

Me before watching the video, looking at the title: Uh oh, it's Laz... Me after watching the video: Well, that coulda been worse, but yeah...KISS.

Not sure I agree.. replay shows the hitter completely ready to recieve the pitch... this is just an attempt to change his timing so the hitter can't use his motions timing... Personally, this looks a little like... it looks weird so it must be wrong... I was always told a QP is when the hitter is clearly not yet ready... here, he just sped up his delivery...

Nester Cortez would make a great Bush league travel ball coach. Keep doing what you do, Nester. Plenty of parents out there to call you the trash you are.

that caster was way too excited for a quick pitch call 😂

Now I see why Laz calls pitches 15 inches off the plate strikes, he's too busy staring at the pitcher's feet.

I love Laz's old school attitude

I know after you explain this, I'm going to feel like an idiot...but.. here I go anyway :facepalm:. When a pitcher is in set, and normally does a high leg kick for 90% of the game, and then does a slide step, how would that not fall under the category of a quick pitch using this reasoning? (I understand it's legal, and happens all the time to try and prevent stealing. But this video has me questioning the legality of either this one, or the slide step.)

I'd be interested in your thoughts on the walk-off play between the Pirates and Cubs today. My main thought: Wrigley apparently has eight whole cameras in the entire park.

First time I disagree with you. The batter was set.

Please explain why they ruled that you can't karate chop the ball out of someone's glove at first base (I think both Robbie Grossman and ARod have both been called for this?) but Bellinger at the end of the game today can karate chop the ball out of the catcher's hand when he's showing the ump the ball after tagging him out? Also, how does this fit in with the "you can't slam into the catcher to knock the ball loose" rules that were added after the Posey collision? I've begun to hate New York almost as much as the umps.

Cortes better hope he never see’s an at bat, cause he’s getting beaned with all this bullshit he pulls lol

How to piss off the umpire 101...

, but okay. There's nothing that says you have to have a certain length of emotion when you go to pitch. The batter had his head up and was ready to hit, there's no issue here, other than umpires don't know how to interpret rules.

It was only a quick pitch because Cortes quick pitched Laz Diaz 😂

But Lindsay, maybe Lance likes little lizards better than ponderous pachederms 😊. Came dancing across the dirt mound, Cortez Cortez ....

"Reasonably set" is subjective. Nestor has every right to argue.

If Nestor was at all worth a shit, he wouldn't have to do this nonsense

Laz is not the best, but if you side with Nestor on this issue you're dumb lol

If MLB would just extend the balk rules to call an illegal pitch when a pitcher commits a "balk" with no runners on base, like it should, instead of creating new BS rules to cover things like the shift or limiting pickoff throws, conversations like this one cease to exist. Baseball knows what it needs to do, it just refuses to do it.

God Nestor Cortes gets on my nerves... I find that delayed or quick delivery like he does are disrespectful...

This is the reason baseball sucks.