Strike Zone

[greymule]

Just to clarify, I don't believe in calling truly bad pitches strikes, whatever the situation. If the pitcher throws 50 in a row that are over the batter's head or in the dirt, that's 50 balls.

This isn't just a theoretical point. A few years ago, I began a SP (men's) softball game with 48 straight balls. (Boy, was that game fun to work.)

Once on a business trip (to a Chicago suburb) I found a LL game near my hotel, so I sat in the stands for a while. The first 30 pitches would have been balls if the plate had been 6 feet wide and the batter 10 feet tall. And the 30 took about 20 minutes, as after each pitch the catcher waddled over to retrieve the ball from wherever it had ended up. When they decided to station a coach at the backstop to do the retrieving and "speed" the game along, I left.

[LMan]

Originally Posted by LomUmp

I am probably one of the VERY few that you will hear this from...

No lie there.

[Dave Hensley]

Originally Posted by tarheelcoach

I am a school coach who has started doing some rec umpiring as a prelude to moving up to the HS ranks when I stop coaching.
Tonight the coach was giving me a hard time about my strike zone. This is the same community in which I coach, and he kept saying "These aren't HS kids, they are 9 years old." He thought my zone was tight.
I give them the benefit of the doubt vertically, but nothing horizontally. My feeling is that 9 year olds can still hit a pitch a little low or a little high, but there's no way they can cover a pitch off the plate, especially the smaller kids.

What do you think? How do you adjust your zone for the lower levels?

I think the plate's 17" wide and the bats, even for the little tykes, are 30" long, which kind of argues against your theory.

The bottom line is if you're umpiring a walkathon, nobody's having any fun. With kids in a rec league, adjust to the level.

[Rcichon]

Frankly I don't like tweaking the zone but for 12YO's, I've seen it go from letters to just below knee. In and out just has to be hittable.

[JR12]

Recently our County High School Coaches were polled about how our Umpire Assoc. could improve. The #1 answer was (you guessed it) CALL MORE STRIKES!!!

[mick]

Originally Posted by JR12

Recently our County High School Coaches were polled about how our Umpire Assoc. could improve. The #1 answer was (you guessed it) CALL MORE STRIKES!!!

I do not find this surprising.
Like us, the game keeps moving, everyone gets home sooner, ... and more strikes gives the illusion that their pitchers can actually pitch, because the coaches have been doing their job.

[David B]

Originally Posted by mick

I do not find this surprising.
and more strikes gives the illusion that their pitchers can actually pitch, because the coaches have been doing their job.

Now that's funny! But true!

Having a 9 year old, last nights game was a better game because the umpire called many more strikes.

However, he was calling more high and low where if he would have expanded the zone the same amount on the in and out if would have been much better.

Parents complained all game long about high and low. Everyone wanted to know why the one a little inside was not a strike - or the one a little outside.

As has been mentioned, no one can tell if its inside or outside sitting in the stands. But everyone can see it was at 'lil Johnnys eyes and the umpire called it a strike.

Thanks
David

[Referee]

Agreed! Open the strike zone liberally where applicable... Aside from little kids, try semi-pro... I did the "Latin Leagues" in Miami. Being from Boston, I believed that the talent levels would be greater??? Wrong! These guys continually try to pick inside and out and you'd think the plate had an infectious disease... Try a four hour nine inning game because of full counts and numerous walks in 90 degree 85% humidity conditions...

[ncump7]

The more strikes you call, the more they swing the bat, the better the game moves along. If you don't call strikes, they will not swing. You do not have to move too far outside or inside. A ball width will make a lot of difference. Once you start calling it and get comfortable with it, you will see the difference.