Book Strike Zone
Very interesting, Ed:
I don't believe there is any support in the rule book for the "swinging" zone. If the hitter swings, who cares where the zone is? What we're after are more strikes to be called by the umpire when the batter TAKES the pitch which sails down the center of the plate in the upper 25% of the strike zone. I can just imagine Albert Belle getting a called strike in the upper part of the zone, and saying "But Ump, if I had swung at that, it would have been too high". I'd hope the Umpire would say "Well, Albert, that's what we're trying to do here, get you to swing at those".
My understanding of the zone has always been that it is judged as the batter takes his normal STANCE, not as he's screwing himself into the ground on a swing.
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