Balk Blows Braxton Ashcraft's Shutout | Pittsburgh Pirates News

Braxton Ashcraft thought he’d locked down the Padres with six scoreless innings—until a balk call erased his final out, gifted the Padres a run, and left him fuming over what he called “stupid” rule. The umpire called it because Ashcraft failed to announce his switch from set to windup after runners advanced—a technicality that’s been catching pitchers off guard this season, like Chris Sale’s similar fate earlier in August. Despite the controversy and fan outrage, the Pirates still pulled off a 3-2 win in the 12th, but the balk stole the spotlight—and the debate’s far from over. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/a85b856dd5c60d47