Is catching a called strike too much to ask?

[Bulldog]

(H.S. level and above)
A strike is a strike, I get it and I have heard the argument from both sides but, I still find it hard to call a strike if the catcher can't hold on to the pitch. For some reason, I feel this is happening in my games more this year than prior years. I'm starting to second guess myself and wonder if I should just start calling the strike even though the catcher drops the ball. I would love to hear from other on how they deal with this issue.

[UmpJM]

Bulldog,

When I first started doing HS Varsity games, I would not call a strike that the catcher did not catch.

Then, one time, I thought to myself, "Phuck it, I don't care. That's STILL a strike." And I said as I pointed, instead of just "strike", "That's a STRIKE, anyway!"

Nobody had a problem with it.

After that I saw a video of Jon Bible speaking to an NCAA audience discouraging giving too much weight to the consideration of how the catcher caught the pitch in making your ball/strike decision. Even at the NCAA level. It made sense to me.

On a borderline pitch, the catcher has to catch it (preferably, "well"). On a "cockshot", it's STILL a strike.

JMO.

JM

[jicecone]

My three favorite words in umpiring baseball.

STRIKE

SOUT

SEEYALATER

[DG]

Originally Posted by UmpJM (nee CoachJM)

Bulldog,

When I first started doing HS Varsity games, I would not call a strike that the catcher did not catch.

Then, one time, I thought to myself, "Phuck it, I don't care. That's STILL a strike." And I said as I pointed, instead of just "strike", "That's a STRIKE, anyway!"

Nobody had a problem with it.

After that I saw a video of Jon Bible speaking to an NCAA audience discouraging giving too much weight to the consideration of how the catcher caught the pitch in making your ball/strike decision. Even at the NCAA level. It made sense to me.

On a borderline pitch, the catcher has to catch it (preferably, "well"). On a "cockshot", it's STILL a strike.

JMO.

JM

Agree, borderline not caught gets balled. No question pitches are STRIKES. I have seen perfect strikes pop out of the mitt, and I am not missing that called STRIKE.

[johnnyg08]

I agree. F2 gotta stick the border pitch. Obvious strike...is a strike.

[ManInBlue]

Uncaught strike tonight brought the only comment I heard about the strike zone. It wasn't HS boys and it wasn't filled with talent. Wide zone, been calling it all night - uncaught made it look bad. I was getting all the strikes I could!!

I agree - a strike is a strike but borderline pitches have to get caught to get called. I hear all the time "Catch that and it'll be a strike" and I think to myself "at least there's one person that understands how this goes."

[pastordoug]

Quote: "speaking to an NCAA audience"

Since I do not do NCAA this is just my opinion but I could understand that point of view much more than I could HS. My reason would be that at the NCAA level (again I do no ump NCAA) your pitchers are much better with more accurate. So I suspect that this is less of a problem...

I still have a hard time calling a strike when the catcher drops it... Not saying I haven't but still hard for me to do....

Would like to hear from those doing NCAA concerning my assumptions.

[GerryB]

Two coaches, same DIII league, one comes unglued if a drop is a strike the other if it isn't. Dread getting them in the same game.

In lower NCAA "up here" pitching is not a strength, so for me strikes are strikes, unless borderline. Higher levels I think are moving that way too.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by pastordoug

Quote: "speaking to an NCAA audience"

Since I do not do NCAA this is just my opinion but I could understand that point of view much more than I could HS. My reason would be that at the NCAA level (again I do no ump NCAA) your pitchers are much better with more accurate. So I suspect that this is less of a problem...

I still have a hard time calling a strike when the catcher drops it... Not saying I haven't but still hard for me to do....

Would like to hear from those doing NCAA concerning my assumptions.

Call the strike. That said, if you "can't decide" whether the pitch was a strike, how the catcher handles it (or not) can help you decide.

[SanDiegoSteve]

The catchers in my adult league many times take the blame with their pitchers, as if the way they caught the ball influenced my ball call. Sometimes they are right, but often I tell them, "no, that was a ball anyway."

[David B]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

Call the strike. That said, if you "can't decide" whether the pitch was a strike, how the catcher handles it (or not) can help you decide.

To me, that is the key point, and a very good observation. Often, the way F2 catches the marginal pitch is what causes him to drop it and thus often, it makes it easier for the umpire to call the pitch a ball.

Thanks
David

[MrUmpire]

In my experience, at the NCAA level most dropped strikes either crossed up the catcher or are difficult pitches to secure regardless of their location. Those that catch the zone clearly I call strikes. Those that "might have" if I had the opporutnity of a better look at the end, are balls.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by MrUmpire

In my experience, at the NCAA level most dropped strikes either crossed up the catcher or are difficult pitches to secure regardless of their location. Those that catch the zone clearly I call strikes. Those that "might have" if I had the opporutnity of a better look at the end, are balls.

Yep. Another, and perhaps better, way of saying what I meant.

[David B]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

Yep. Another, and perhaps better, way of saying what I meant.

Agreed, you both made this very clear as to what I've called, observed, and been taught.

Thanks
David

[Bulldog]

I worked a couple games today in a H.S. showcase tournament and had an opportunity to call that "cockshot" drop strike and did. I didn’t get a peep from either bench, almost as if they expected it to be called. I used to frown upon those that called dropped strikes because I thought it was a result of poor timing. I still agree that borderline pitches need to be caught but maybe always catching that dropped strike is too much to ask. Thanks to all for the advice.