Gray Area Strikes

[Kevin Finnerty]

"The hitter is not part of the strike zone" is the kind of statement that makes you difficult to stay with.

[tballump]

Umpmazza

Could you make a picture with the batter and the official strike zone (shaded in blue) and put a O (a little bigger O than I just did to represent the baseball) and show a pitch just nicking the bottom, top and both sides of the strike zone as well as the corners so that the younger umpires can see that the "whole" ball does not have to pass through the zone. As long as "any" part of the ball passes through "any" part of the strike zone it is a strike by definition. Thanks.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by Umpmazza

Ok here is a good view... you can see the older called strike zone, and what the zone should be called by definition in the blue shady part.

YMMV, but if I had ever called a strike at the top of the "new" zone at the varsity level, I would have been run out of town on a rail! I've never seen an umpire intentionally give a high strike in any of the games I worked.

[SAump]

Originally Posted by Umpmazza

Ok here is a good view... you can see the older called strike zone, and what the zone should be called by definition in the blue shady part.

You see the batter looking at the pitcher, a plate, and a thin rectangular shape outline. That is ONE strike zone for ONE guy who stands like that. It is very basic and does not encompass more thought than a Ken doll in a uniform. That hitter may move in a variety of directions, and assume a variety of position and angles from head to toe. This guy has a large strike zone compared to hitters who crouch or try to crowd the plate.

I don't see a ball. If the ball were included; would it be inside, on or outside of the thin rectanglular outline? That would be more definitive. See a strike zone by definition would include a ball. Have any pictures of a baseball {circles} outlining a strike zone? A bigger 3 inch wide rectangle, drawn proportional to the 17 inch plate would be more appropriate for an actual strike zone area. It would provide more meaning for a baseball passing along the edges of a real strike zone. The umpire's strike zone would definitely include baseballs around the zone area.

I have a $3 strike zone to work with here. You would think, as hard as umpires work to improve the game, any graphical animation artist could provide a mediocre strike zone. This one SUXS! I have students that could do better than that with internet baseball player clip art and MSPaint. Some know how to work with actual Photoshop graphics and MSPaint over real MLB web photos. Powerful info.

Some folks don't want to grasp any ideas. Its easier to make snide remarks for the general public. Fundamentals of baseball include reading, and the ability to comprehend. My apologies for making unclear statements. I have been told this many times and I continue making apologies. Thats all I got.

[ozzy6900]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

YMMV, but if I had ever called a strike at the top of the "new" zone at the varsity level, I would have been run out of town on a rail! I've never seen an umpire intentionally give a high strike in any of the games I worked.

I've done it several times (called the high strike). One in particular that I remember was the Home Coach (HS) came to us before the game complaining about an associates strike zone being "on friggen wheels". He said that he was sick of these "interpreted strike zones" and "why can't umpires just call the strike zone as the book says!". I stated that we will be happy to oblige his request and he "harumphed" his way back to the field.

I called letter high pitches as strikes from the 1st inning to the 7th inning. In the bottom of the 1st, the Home Coach started complaining and I stepped back from the plate with my hand up and said in his direction, "By the book, Coach! Just as you asked for in the parking lot!". Not another word was spoken and amazingly enough, the batters were actually swinging at them and hitting them! The opposing blasted 3 homers on letter high pitches!

[Kevin Finnerty]

This is the best I can do in 20 minutes:



SEE THE BALLS?

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

This is the best I can do in 20 minutes:



SEE THE BALLS?

Is it just me, or do these balls seem a tad large?

[kylejt]

My point was that a pitch two balls in the inside part of the plate should not be called a strike, IMO.

[Kevin Finnerty]

What is this hitter-not-part-of-the-strike-zone b.s.?

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by SAump

Now put some more gray balls out there and I see gray area.
Then put a third ball out there and I see BALLS.
Now if you choose a half-a-ball "gray" area, your vision is better than mine?
But that zone? Love you man!

I reduced the size of the balls just for you.

Maybe I should medicate.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by tballump

Umpmazza

Could you make a picture with the batter and the official strike zone (shaded in blue) and put a O (a little bigger O than I just did to represent the baseball) and show a pitch just nicking the bottom, top and both sides of the strike zone as well as the corners so that the younger umpires can see that the "whole" ball does not have to pass through the zone. As long as "any" part of the ball passes through "any" part of the strike zone it is a strike by definition. Thanks.

This picture was for you and not intended for SAUmp to go on one of his ranting tangents:

[SethPDX]

And just think--it's only January.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Can someone please find a way to tell him that the picture was for TBall, who requested a picture of the whole zone to show others?

[tip184]

My opinions on calling balls and strikes:

-Width: Do not make it wider than 1 ball more than the plate including the black. So either call a ball off the plate on the inside corner, or a ball off the plate on the outside corner, but not both. Hitters should be able to adjust their foot placement if you are being a bit generous on one side of the plate, but it's a bit much to expect them to cover a liberal inside AND outside corner.
-For the outside corner, let the catcher's body language dictate whether or not it was a strike. If he goes lunging, spinning, or completely misses it, call it a ball unless the ball was clearly over the white part of the plate.
-On pitches which cross right at the midpoint of the knees, do not call it a strike if the catcher pulls the pitch up or catches it basket-style. If the pitch is clearly high enough to be a strike but he butchers the framing part, call it a strike anyway.
-Don't call a strike on a pitch that is almost too high if the catcher stands up to catch it or stabs upwards with his glove.

Basically, call the obvious strikes, and for those that are not obvious, let the catcher's body language determine what you call it. The occasional comment such as "please do a better job of framing that pitch" will help develop rapport and allow the pitcher to get more strikes. Above all else, do not call a pitch that is out of your strikezone a strike because the catcher did a great job of framing it. The batter has no control over how it is caught.

Those are my thoughts on working with the catcher to call a consistent, "good" strike zone.

[Umpmazza]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

YMMV, but if I had ever called a strike at the top of the "new" zone at the varsity level, I would have been run out of town on a rail! I've never seen an umpire intentionally give a high strike in any of the games I worked.

So you never call a high strike or almost at the top of the zone...Dude your really missing alot of pitches...and who cares if the batters hit them out... its not our job to worry about where the batters hit them. We should call the zone.