What is a balk? Marlins pitcher Richard Bleier still unsure after getting called for three in one at-bat vs. Mets

The Marlins put a cherry on top of their season with a masterclass in bad baseball, as veteran pitcher Richard Bleier found himself allowing a run to score with not one, not two, but three balks in the same at-bat Tuesday.

With Jeff McNeil at first base and Pete Alonso at the plate, first base umpire John Tumpane called a balk on Bleier, who he said didn't come set before throwing home. The second time, Tumpane determined Bleier flinched before going home. While there is a case to be made, it appears Tumpane wanted the RBI, because he called Bleier for a third balk in Alonso's at-bat where seemingly nothing occurred.

Bleier and Don Mattingly were ejected (balks are considered a judgment call and cannot be argued), but the Marlins still went onto win 6-4.

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Bleier, as the Shea Station tweet mentions, had never been called for a balk since his first appearance with the Yankees in 2016. Now, his name will be synonymous with balking, as he became the first pitcher with three in one inning since the Pirates' Jim Gott in 1988. No other pitcher since 1900 has balked three times with one batter.

"Words cannot describe what happened in that inning on my end," Bleier said, per ESPN. "I don't know. It was wild."