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.