News: Umpires Progress Report on New Zone

[Patrick Szalapski]

This from espn's Jason Stark.
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How consistent were umpires this spring?

In theory, this spring was supposed to help everyone get a feel for the new zone. In actual life, all it wound up doing was making many players more confused.


"There's no such thing as a low strike now," Wagner said. "And I'm not knocking the umpires when I say that. But they say they're going to call the high strike. Then you throw it up there, and they don't call it. So you get the ball back down, and you don't get that. So now you're right back in the hitting zone. And it don't matter how hard you throw if you throw it there. So I don't understand what they're trying to do.


"I know they're trying, but I don't know how hard they're trying. Either they won't call the high pitch, or they'll call the high pitch but they won't call the low pitch. Maybe it will be better once everyone gets an idea where it's at. But right now, nobody knows where the strike zone is."


However, umpires say, from their perspective, they've seen no evidence this spring that they've been concentrating too hard on the high strike and ignoring the low strike.

"We're not giving up on that pitch," Welke insisted. "We can't. We won't."


But hitters and managers have had the same observation. And the consensus is also that the diligence with which umpires even called the high strike varied widely.


"I've had a few balls that were up there that were called balls," Plesac said. "But I didn't complain about it because I haven't been accustomed to getting strikes in that area.


"I did pitch a game the other day where I struck out Henry Rodriguez with a 3-2 slider. Probably, under the new definition, it's a strike. But I didn't expect to get a called strike three. If I throw a ball there 10 times, it's probably a ball nine times. But this time, I got it. And I said, 'Hey, I like this new strike zone.' "


Then again, if the umpires haven't gotten this down yet, why should anyone have expected otherwise. Many umps have been feeling their way just as much as the players.


"I sense some uncertainty from the umpires," said Phillies catcher Mike Lieberthal. "They're asking me questions because it's hard for them to get used to calling that pitch up there (above the waist). They'll say, 'Damn, I'm not used to calling that one. That's going to be a tough one to call.'


"I just tell them I'll help them out," Lieberthal chuckled. "I say, 'Just ask. I'll let you know if it's a strike.' "