Strike Zone

[brandda]

Originally posted by PAblue87
Say a ball is 4 inches off the plate, catcher catches it right where he set up. This is a strike. When the ball is traveling in at 75+ mph you honestly cannot see that 4 inches, especially on the outside corner. The ball is a blur, so 4 inches may even be 6. The ball looks like it catches the corner.

Have to disagree with this. If I see a catcher's glove set up off the plate and he catches the ball without moving, then I know it's a ball. The fans and coaches can make all the noise they want but it is not fair to the batters to allow the catcher to determine the strike zone.

On another note, I do not think the actual location of the strike zone is as important as the consistency of it. I called a 13-14 year old game the other day and after the first two batters, everyone on the field knew that I was not going to give them the high strike so the batters stopped swinging at it and the pitchers stopped throwing it.

In my case, I will change my strike zone in the following two circumstances:

1) The younger the division, the larger the strike zone. In minors, it's enormous, but I expect 15-16 year olds to have better consistency and operate with a regulation zone.

2) When we are in a mercy situation, the strike zone expands. Not even the losing team wants to stay out there in that situation.