Your Zone

[canablue05]

Originally Posted by canadaump6

Calling according to the catcher is the thing that gets to be tricky. I was listening to the Jays versus Yankees game today and the Blue Jays announcer mentioned how homeplate umpire Ed Montegue is balling pitches that are in the zone because the catcher sets up outside and then reaches to the inside corner to catch it. The announcer said how the umpire got fooled by the catcher and ended up missing a strike, and how that is not acceptable but that umpires do that kind of thing all the time. I think that umpires will ball this pitch on purpose, because it doesn't look like a strike, but the announcer recognized this practice as the umpire actually being fooled and not having his timing down right. I will only ball a pitch on the corner if the catcher makes a huge lunge for it.

As much as it pains me I feel my Canadian Counterpart brings up a good point.

As like most have mentioned so far, I also feel good pitching is important to re-establishing the strike zone in the early season. However I also feel good catching is just as important. We've all had games where pitchers hit their spots and catchers stick them, and they're hour and ten minute gems. These games are simply joys to work.

However, we've all still had catchers that can't stick a pitch if it splits the plate in two. How much do we punish them for this? We've all heard "you catch it I call it"...is this still accepted practice? And we've definately had pitchers who can't hit their spots if their lives depend on it. How much do we let visual perception dictate our strike zones?

Or has the game progressed to the point where the QuesTec or the video game "box" zone is the determining factor in calling a solid plate game?

Personally, if the ball splits the plate in two and the catcher drops it, as much as it disgusts me, I'll give the pitcher the benefit of the doubt and still call it a strike.On the other hand, if the catcher is setting up inside and the pitcher misses his spot and the pitch is borderline on the outside, will I ball it? Probably. Or if a 'looping' curve crosses through the zone but the catcher pulls the ball into the dirt am I going to give it to him? No.

Thankfully, no parks I work at have QuesTec installed