Strike zone

[buckweat]

Originally Posted by DG

The "spot" is what gets the batter out. If a higher level pitcher throws a fastball 3 inches outside on an 0-2 count it's because he meant to, not because he missed, so call it a ball. If he then throws one on the edge of the black outside, it's because he meant to, knowing that you will not call it 3 inches outside, so call it a strike.

The spot is a welled placed pitch, under a given situation.

I surely won’t argue, but your opinion about how accurately a P can throw a ball is vastly different than what I’ve seen or been told. No biggie.

Can I assume that where the C is seeing up is having an effect on your call? FI, if the C set up inside on that 2nd pitch it’d be a ball.

[DG]

Originally Posted by buckweat

I surely won’t argue, but your opinion about how accurately a P can throw a ball is vastly different than what I’ve seen or been told. No biggie.

Can I assume that where the C is seeing up is having an effect on your call? FI, if the C set up inside on that 2nd pitch it’d be a ball.

If the pitcher can't hit the spot then there is no spot. And hell yes, how the catcher catches it is a factor. If he is set up inside and the pitch is on the black outside, it's a ball. The spot is where you and the catcher expect it to be, and when it ain't, well it ain't.

I called a 2-0 game yesterday with 2 pitcher's who went the distance for their team. Both were hitting the spots, the game lasted 1:40 and I heard no complaints from anyone about balls and strikes, because when they hit the spot and I called a strike and when they didn't it was because they were trying to get the batter to swing at one that was not on the spot. Sometimes they swing at a pitch off the spot, and sometimes they don't. I only called one K looking and he walked off before I made the call, because he knew...