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I'm tight without trying. I've grown up as a hitter, and a hitting instructor and my son's a big slugger, so I've naturally developed into a hitter's umpire. I have heard guys who say they call the plate, plus the width of two balls on either side. I virtually always call only a strike a strike, and I don't care how long the game is. I know that at some of the higher levels, the pitchers expect a wider zone, and I hope not to make those guys throw too many pitches, but I take the strike zone seriously and I don't want to cheat 18 hitters.
High School varsity and above:
Corners: I call the ball that's scraping the black a strike. If the guy nails his spot a couple of inches off the corner (3 in. tops) and the catcher sticks it, it's a strike. Otherwise, I ball it.
Bottom: If the top of the ball appears to pass at the bottom of the guy's kneecap, I have a strike.
Top: If the bottom of the ball appears to scrape the top of the belt, I have a strike.
I also think I am a little less apt to have a strike on a high fastball than a high bender.
I do hear the C-word a hell of a lot: Consistent.
Last edited by Kevin Finnerty; Thu Jan 01, 2009 at 12:32pm.
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