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Spent some time with Jim Evans this past week. Conversation eventually got around to the "book" (high)strike zone.
First of all, Alderson's guidelines are: Bring in the outside and inside pitch. Use the black as part of the plate. Raise the zone currently used by 3 1/2 balls.
I watched 3 Fall Ball games this past week in the Phoenix Area. One umpire decide to NOT use the high zone. Game time 1:42. Other two umps applied the high zone with the teams knowledge. Ist game took so long, we left and found a Hooters. Yesterdays Championship game ended up at something like 17 - 9 after 8 innings. Both teams gave up because of lack of pitchers.
A Major League Umpires basic opinion: Bring the zone up and in, force the batters to swing at the high pitch, tell them to lay off the outside pitch? Chaos!! Huge scoring, typical 4 hour ball games, boredom, the death of baseball.
The Major League pitcher doesn't WANT the batter to swing at that high pitch. The Batter will kill it!! The pitcher wants to keep the ideal pitch down and away. Well, the away pitch has just been taken away. It's now balled instead of striked. Yeah!! Lengthen that ball game!! Watch Clemens REALLY go apeshit!!
Dave Davies
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