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Al,
Unfair to batter - There is no requirement to hit the strike zone, which means the 5'2" batter has the same "zone" as the 6'6" batter. If you are the latter, you probably don't care. However, if you are the previous, you might have a problem. A pitch can hit the front of the plate, never coming even close to the batter's front knee and it's a strike.
Unfair to the pitcher - A legal 7' pitch can clear the mat even though it is a perfectly good pitch in a legal strike zone and be ruled a ball because it missed the mat. A pitcher is more of a target as s/he must throw the ball down the middle. No curves, no catching the corners, etc.
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The bat issue in softball is as much about liability, insurance and litigation as it is about competition, inflated egos and softball.
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