[Rog]

Since you started umpiring before me (notice I'm not dating either of us), perhaps others as well as myself would be interested in what you've experienced in changes in the "zone" since you started in the game........ thanks!

Originally posted by Carl Childress
I think there is a misconception here concerning what happens to the high pitch.

A high pitch that is a mistake may get hit out of the park more often than a low pitch.

The problem is that batters are taught to swing level. When they stride for a pitch and swing, they most often swing under "high heat."

Boys and girls, there's not a pitcher alive who wouldn't lobby for a strike zone that included "nipple-high" (based on the batter's ORIGINAL crouch) as the top of the zone. Pitches at that point, not in the heart of the plate, and thrown as a fast ball and not a hanging curve, results in: "Swing and a miss." If the pitcher's now will have that pitch as a called strike, they will be in high cotton.

I imagine that the high scores results from: (1) pitchers not getting their customary "outside" corner; and (2) batters getting to swing at pitches closer to the plate. It's not a function of the HIGH zone.

I'll bet it's a quid pro quo attempt by baseball to strike a balance between offense and defense. Offense: Yes, we're gonna make 'em bring in on the edges. Defense: Yes, we're gonna you that high strike.

They're going to discover, I predict, that the offense has gained BIG TIME.