balk -
An illegal motion intended to deceive a runner.
balk -
Motion used to deceive an opponent during a serve.
Verb
balk -
To pass over or by.
balk -
To stop, check, block.
balk -
To stop short and refuse to go on.
balk -
To refuse suddenly.
balk -
To indicate to fishermen, by shouts or signals from shore, the direction taken by the shoals of herring.
Wikipedia
may commit a number of illegal motions or actions which constitute a balk. In games played under Official Baseball Rules, a balk results in a delayed dead ball, and the balk is ignored under specified circumstances. Under other rule sets, notably the National Federation of High Schools (Fed) Baseball Rules in the United States, a balk results in an immediate dead ball.