What are the windup and the set position in baseball?
A · Advanced · Pitching and game management · 7 of 9They are the two legal ways to stand before pitching. In both, the pitcher's pivot foot must touch the pitcher's rubber. In the windup the pitcher faces the batter and may step back and then forward. In the set, used with runners on base, the pitcher holds the ball in both hands and comes to a complete stop first.
How it works
- Two positions: "The wind-up and the set position. Either one can be used at any time."
- The rubber: a slab 24 inches by 6, with its front edge 60 feet 6 inches from the back of home plate.
- Pivot foot: some part of it must be in contact with the rubber for the pitch to be legal.
- Signs: the pitcher must take signs from the catcher while in contact with the rubber.
- Windup: facing the batter, with one step backward and one forward allowed in the delivery.
- Set: side-on, the other foot in front of the rubber, "holding the ball in both hands in front of his body and coming to a complete stop".
- Committed: once the natural motion of the delivery starts, the pitcher must pitch "without interruption or alteration".
- Stepping off: the pitcher may step back off the rubber with the pivot foot and is then an infielder.
- Throwing to a base: allowed until the motion commits the pitcher to pitch, provided they step directly towards the base first.
- Bases empty: the stop in the set is not required.
- Quick pitch: a pitch made to catch the batter off balance. It is illegal: a ball with the bases empty, a balk with runners on.
- Warm-up: up to eight pitches at the start of each inning, within the time between innings.
The glossary has the windup, the set position, the pivot foot, the pitcher's mound, the quick pitch and the pickoff.
Tricky cases
With a runner on first, the pitcher brings the hands together and pitches without pausing. Legal?
No. From the set position the pitcher must come to a complete stop. It is a balk.
With the bases empty, the pitcher does not pause in the set. Legal?
Yes. With no runners on base, the pitcher is not required to come to a complete stop.
The pitcher steps back off the rubber and throws wildly to first. Is that a pitch or a throw?
A throw by an infielder. The awards for a wild throw apply, not those for a pitch.
The batter is still settling in and the pitcher fires the ball. What is the call?
A quick pitch: a ball with nobody on base, and a balk with runners on.
Why the rule exists
Runners may leave their bases before the pitch, so they need to know when the pitcher has stopped being able to throw at them and started to pitch. The complete stop in the set position is that signal. The rules on the rubber keep the pitcher at a fixed distance from the batter.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Runners on base | The set requires a complete stop | WBSC Baseball Rule 13.3.2; 13.10.16 |
| Bases empty | No stop required | WBSC Baseball Rule 13.3.2 comment |
| Under 12 | Rubber at 51 feet | WBSC Baseball Rule 2.1.3 |
| Softball | Underhand delivery from a shorter distance | WBSC Softball rules |
From the rule book
World Baseball Softball Confederation, Official Rules of Baseball (2025-2026 edition), Rules 2.4, 6.66, 6.68, 6.75, 6.89, 13.1 to 13.4, 13.7 and 13.8. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: WBSC Official Rules of Baseball 2025-2026 (PDF).