Outside Corner
 

How does working the slot affect the view one has of the outside corner? Because I work the slot and have been very happy with my outside corner; anything that touches it I call a strike, even if only a fraction of the ball nicks it. But today a partner of mine told me I call pitches that are a foot and a half off the outside corner of the plate. This is scary and frustrating to me because although I am a bit more generous on the outside part of the plate, it is never nearly that bad. My rule of thumb is that if I see dirt between the ball and the black of the plate, it's not a strike. Apparently I am seeing things because what looks like a good pitch is actually a foot and a half off the plate. How does working the slot change the perception of the outside pitch?

Working the slot correctly with a good stance and good timing provides an excellent view of the outside corner.

Bad judgment, however, can still be a problem.

I found that a lot of times early in my career I was guessing at the outside corner, especially with a LH batter, until a partner with some good experience told me that if I felt I was struggling with the corner, I was probably working too low. I started working about 3 inches higher and it was like a new view. I still use that idea to this day; if I'm struggling on the outside corner, I'm working too low.

Using your rule of thumb [dirt between the ball and the black of the plate, it's not a strike] I am guessing that you may be missing a lot of outside strikes at the top of the zone. Still guessing, I suppose, a guy could be 18" off the black, but that really sounds like an exaggeration, or a manager, to me.

I use the Gerry Davis system which gives me a better view, of the outside zone in particular, than I had from the slot. From the slot I was uncomfortable with the high outside corner, I think my zone was more oval (egg on its side shaped), wider in the middle, taller (bottom of the egg) on inside pitches and shorter on the outside. Standing higher and deeper opened up a great view. It raised my low zone, but squared the zone better.

Exactly what I thought when I first read the post. Get a friend and go to the plate. Assume the slot position with a ball on the ground, with 1/4 of it on outside white. Have your friend lift it straight up two feet. You WILL be seeing dirt between the ball and the plate. Not may or might, WILL. IMO, worrying about this "dirt view" is best used to build judgement during drills, not calling strikes during a game.

And I wouldn't worry about a partner saying you were calling strikes that far off the plate. If it were true, you'd have a raving lunatic coach telling you way before your partner ever could. This "partner" isn't helping you with these exagerations.

Yep -- that parallax (sp?) can be a problem if you try to line the ball up with something "behind it" . But, it usually leads to tighter zones, not to wider zones. I'd ask a different umpire for feedback. If "all" (and I don't mean that literally) tell you your zone is too wide, then it probably is, for the level you are working.

First, be aware of your feet. If your feet are inverted you'll end up missing pitches on the outside corner. Most umpires who struggle with left handed batters have their feet inverted.

Second, make sure you are tracking the ball and don't have tunnel vision. Lie down on your bed and throw a rolled up pair of socks in the air and track it with your eyes.

Third, check your timing. Make sure you let everything that can happen, happen before you decide if the pitch is a ball or a strike. See the ball all the way to the plate, read how the catcher catches it, and then make your decision.

Hope this helps you out.

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www.midamericanumpireclinic.com

Get rid of looking for dirt and track the ball into the catchers glove, pause and call the pitch.

I had a problem mainly with left-handed batters. I was squeezing the outside low corner. I started working a little higher and it opened up my view of the corner for me. I was a little ashamed that I didn't figure this out by myself but I had a good umpire tell me what he thought I should do. I didn't have a lot of chirping about my zone but I knew I was missing some close pitches. also,I never understood why but slowing down also helped me. I track the ball from the pitchers hand through (or not through) the zone, call the pitch in my head, and then call the pitch to everyone else. Seemed like it was to long of a pause but now it is very natural and flows very well. Just goes to show you that timing is everything.

Thanks for the pointers. The positive is that I'm pretty good at making adjustments to my strike zone and plate mechanics. The negative is that I may have to wait over 8 months to make these adjustments, depending on whether I get any more plate games over the next two to three weeks of the season.

I think my feet placement is decent; I actually got with only half of a heel-toe as it helps me balance, and my feet don't get inverted with a left-handed batter. Timing has been good, and tracking with the eyes hasn't been great but hasn't been a big problem either.

I tried that drill you mentioned about having someone holding a ball above the plate, and just as I thought, the pitches that look like they clipped the outside edge of the black from the slot are only one to two inches off the plate when looking at the ball directly overhead.

Although there were a few complaints in the 2 games my partners were referring to, and a total of 5 ejections, (but only one was due to arguing the outside pitch) the players were able to adjust to the more generous outside corner. It does seem odd to me how a catcher can frame a pitch that is 18 inches off the plate, because those pitches that are apparently that far outside are often perfectly framed and held there by the catcher.

5 ej's in two games?!? Maybe your strike zone is setting them up for the big melt down?

Also, most good F2's will not frame a pitch they know you won't call.... I've NEVER EVER had an F2 frame a pitch that was 18" off the corner!:eek:

Few, but some, F2s have been hit by too many foul balls. :)

5 ej in 2 games
frames a foot n half off plate
canuck6 is making things up here methinks.

but interesting thread any how!

No two eyes or sight lines are alike. Trust your own, you would know if you were 18" off.

If he's holding that glove any time longer than a flash 18" off, we're going to have a conversation.

I had similar comments early in my career, so I had a fellow blue video me calling pitches at a practice, from behind the pitcher, and then also from high in the bleachers behind me.

I then watched it - it was helpful. I grant that this view is not ideal, but it did show me that I was a bit loose in the middle of the outside zone and too tight at the bottom of the outside zone. Can't hurt.

It is also worth noting the concept of the "dominant eye theory". Many people have a dominant eye. For umpires, the result is that a pitch that appears to be the same for both a RH batter and LH batter, may in fact, be not. For example, I have a dominant right eye. As a result, I have to be careful for LH batters, as, pitches that I believe to be on the corner, are in fact, off the plate.

You can test to see if you have a dominant eye. Find a fixed object on the wall that is 10-15 feet away from you (a light switch is good). Extend your arm and cover the switch with your thumb. Now, cover each eye, one at a time. If you have a dominant eye, the switch will appear to magically move a foot or two when an eye is covered up. The eye that is looking at the switch when it moves is your dominant eye.

As described above, if your right eye is the dominant one, be careful with LH batters, and vice versa.

To combat the dominant eye's misleading view of the outside corner, you must watch the pitch all the way to the mitt with both eyes. This may sound stupid, because all umpires think they do this, but seriously, many don't.

Good luck.

I think you got that backwards. The eye in which the switch is still covered would be the dominant eye. The eye that see the switch move would not.

Try this one:

Extend both hands forward of your body and place the hands together making a small triangle (approximately 1/2 to 3/4 inch per side) between your thumbs and the first knuckle.

With both eyes open, look through the triangle and center something such as a doorknob or light switch in the triangle.

Close your left eye. If the object remains in view, you are right eye dominant. If your hands appear to move off the object and move to the left, then you are left eye dominant.


To validate the first test, look through the triangle and center the object again with both eyes open.

Close your right eye. If the object remains in view, you are left eye dominant.

Holy Crap! I'm all dizzy now!:D

This little test doesn't work when you have permanent double vision...I mean everything is moving.

ETOH abusers, move to the front of the line.:D

Heh, yeppers the ole' "brush the plate, chatty watty with catchy".

"I hope you're hand is frozen in ice b/c if it's not, then I expect you to hold every single pitch as long as you did that one."