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HS varsity and older
A pitch is nothing until I call it something, and I'm not predisposed either way.
The 1" black isn't part of the plate, and gives the proper amount of leeway on close pitches in and out. If it hits the black--strike. If it doesn't--ball. Batters with a well-developed eye for the strike zone deserve to make a living, too. A pitch that "sticks" a catcher's mitt set up 2" off the black screams "ball" to me, and is usually met by the defensive bench with "Good spot to miss!" (unless it's a 3-2 count or there's two outs in a crucual situation, in which case they come to the top step and yell, "Dammit, we gotta have that pitch!")
Bottom of the front knee and the navel represent the "black" at the bottom and top of the zone, but style points count for something. A catcher who butchers a strike at the margins can cause me to call it a ball. That's a game-control device, which means something to me. The benches nearly always complain less when that's employed.
That's a general sense. A guy who throws strikes consistently probably gets a pitch or three that a guy who can't hit the ground when he trips on the curb doesn't get. I'm not suggesting my way is "right"; it's what works for me.
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