Gray Area Strikes

[Umpmazza]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

I'm tight without trying. I've grown up as a hitter, and a hitting instructor and my son's a big slugger, so I've naturally developed into a hitter's umpire. I have heard guys who say they call the plate, plus the width of two balls on either side. I virtually always call only a strike a strike, and I don't care how long the game is. I know that at some of the higher levels, the pitchers expect a wider zone, and I hope not to make those guys throw too many pitches, but I take the strike zone seriously and I don't want to cheat 18 hitters.

High School varsity and above:

Corners: I call the ball that's scraping the black a strike. If the guy nails his spot a couple of inches off the corner (3 in. tops) and the catcher sticks it, it's a strike. Otherwise, I ball it.

Bottom: If the top of the ball appears to pass at the bottom of the guy's kneecap, I have a strike.

Top: If the bottom of the ball appears to scrape the top of the belt, I have a strike.

I also think I am a little less apt to have a strike on a high fastball than a high bender.

I do hear the C-word a hell of a lot: Consistent.

I agree with all that you said but I think your upper strike zone is small.... a ball off the top of the belt... that is a tight zone.

[D-Man]

Call strikes from the moment you arrive at the game site. The game is better that way. I can't tell you I call two balls off the black. When they look like strikes to me, I call them strikes. I've never gotten into trouble being large. I usually get in trouble when I'm tight. I try to get them swinging early.

When I'm on, I'm consistent. When I'm off, I'm all over the place. If I call one up at the chin, look out. I don't like to ump angry but I'm better when I do.

If the entire ball is inside the inner batter's box lines on either side and the catcher sticks it, it's a strike. The inside edge of the ball can't be more than 2.5 inches off the plate. Well, maybe on an inside pitch it needs to touch the black.


D

[Kevin Finnerty]

Isn't this a great topic?

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by D-Man

If the entire ball is inside the inner batter's box lines on either side and the catcher sticks it, it's a strike. The inside edge of the ball can't be more than 2.5 inches off the plate. Well, maybe on an inside pitch it needs to touch the black.

From the plate to the box line is 6 inches. The ball is 3 inches in diameter. That makes it at least 3 inches off the plate if the ball is up against the outer edge of the inside line. Just to get technical.

[D-Man]

Great point!

I can't see half inches anyway.

I'll round up....and still call it a strike!

D

[kylejt]

Originally Posted by Umpmazza

So if that outside pitch touched the outside of the edge of the plate it should be called a strike right?

Yup.

Originally Posted by Umpmazza

Plus you can even go almost another ball outside of that, the coaches and fans cant see inside and outside just up and down in the strike zone right?

Uh, no, that's not a strike. Plus, trying to get away with a bad call is no reason to do it. Do you fill you pockets at WalMart because no one can see you do it? Call a true strike zone, if you're good enough to do so.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Yeah!

[Umpmazza]

Originally Posted by kylejt

Yup.



Uh, no, that's not a strike. Plus, trying to get away with a bad call is no reason to do it. Do you fill you pockets at WalMart because no one can see you do it? Call a true strike zone, if you're good enough to do so.

please... at walmart..... most people will call a strike outside of the one that is right off the plate... if the catcher sticks it, and its right off the plate... Im giving it to him.

[Emperor Ump]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

Corners: I call the ball that's scraping the black a strike. If the guy nails his spot a couple of inches off the corner (3 in. tops) and the catcher sticks it, it's a strike. Otherwise, I ball it.

Originally Posted by ozzy6900

Every ball that leaves the pitcher's hand is a strike unless it proves itself to be otherwise!

Both are great comments.

Get the strikes be consistent.

[UmpTTS43]

Originally Posted by kylejt

Call a true strike zone, if you're good enough to do so.

Sorry kylejt, didn't see the sarcasm there, just nonsence and arrogance. If you don't call the pitch that the catcher sticks and is a ball off of the plate, then you're going to have a whole lot of trouble. There are strikes and there are percieved strikes. If you don't call the percieved strikes, you will be writing ejection reports for most of the season, especially at the college level. The "true strike" is not even applicable in the pro game.

Let me ask you this. Do you call the low bender that crosses the front of the plate at the knees but hits the dirt a strike? How about the high bender that the catcher catches at his mask? The ball hit the zone at the back of the plate. And finally, my favorite, the lefty who throws that mean slider, hits the front corner and the catcher catches it a foot and a half outside. All are true strikes but all will have your lunch for such a calls. College coaches want strikes, consistency, strikes, game management and oh by the way, did I mention strikes. Let me say that in this case, strikes = any and all legitimate percieved strikes. The only real true strike zone is the one that I am calling that day.

Just like an OOO, an OOSZC causes more trouble than I care to deal with. To each his own, I guess.

[Publius]

A pitch is nothing until I call it something, and I'm not predisposed either way.

The 1" black isn't part of the plate, and gives the proper amount of leeway on close pitches in and out. If it hits the black--strike. If it doesn't--ball. Batters with a well-developed eye for the strike zone deserve to make a living, too. A pitch that "sticks" a catcher's mitt set up 2" off the black screams "ball" to me, and is usually met by the defensive bench with "Good spot to miss!" (unless it's a 3-2 count or there's two outs in a crucual situation, in which case they come to the top step and yell, "Dammit, we gotta have that pitch!")

Bottom of the front knee and the navel represent the "black" at the bottom and top of the zone, but style points count for something. A catcher who butchers a strike at the margins can cause me to call it a ball. That's a game-control device, which means something to me. The benches nearly always complain less when that's employed.

That's a general sense. A guy who throws strikes consistently probably gets a pitch or three that a guy who can't hit the ground when he trips on the curb doesn't get. I'm not suggesting my way is "right"; it's what works for me.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by btdt

High in the strike zone?
Inside/Outside??

All areas / levels are slightly different. IF "all" participants (assignors, coaches, players, partners) say that your zone is too big / small / high / wide / tight .... then it probably is for that level and that area.

[Kevin Finnerty]

The first part's very true; you have to adjust if you do different levels.

The second part's somewhat true, but for the fact that the majority of guys who'll tell you that aren't interested in fairness, but in how soon they get to leave the ballpark that day.

[kylejt]

I'm just saying that if you're calling strikes at two ball widths on the inside part of the dish, you may get more grief than you should. I've had really good instructors tell me to do so, but IMO, that's not a hittable pitch, and it's definitely not a strike.

But Bob and Kevin make good points. If your area wants that called, and you get less grief that way, roll with it.

[gordon30307]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

I'm tight without trying. I've grown up as a hitter, and a hitting instructor and my son's a big slugger, so I've naturally developed into a hitter's umpire. I have heard guys who say they call the plate, plus the width of two balls on either side. I virtually always call only a strike a strike, and I don't care how long the game is. I know that at some of the higher levels, the pitchers expect a wider zone, and I hope not to make those guys throw too many pitches, but I take the strike zone seriously and I don't want to cheat 18 hitters.

High School varsity and above:

Corners: I call the ball that's scraping the black a strike. If the guy nails his spot a couple of inches off the corner (3 in. tops) and the catcher sticks it, it's a strike. Otherwise, I ball it.

Bottom: If the top of the ball appears to pass at the bottom of the guy's kneecap, I have a strike.

Top: If the bottom of the ball appears to scrape the top of the belt, I have a strike.

I also think I am a little less apt to have a strike on a high fastball than a high bender.

I do hear the C-word a hell of a lot: Consistent.

Do you get paid by the hour?