Strike Zone - How to call

[SRW]

Originally Posted by wadeintothem

In general, If forced to describe my zone - I give some outside, will call the knee, tight on the inside, about a softball and 1/2 above the belly button high.

Your batters show you their belly button every at-bat?

[wadeintothem]

Originally Posted by SRW

Your batters show you their belly button every at-bat?

Thats not how I guage it.. I was just being polite

[Steve M]

I had a game a few years ago where the pitcher was throwing an almost unhittable strike and she was not anywhere near overpowering these hitters. RHP throwing a curve that would see about 1/3 of the ball catch the front ouside corner (RHB) and break hard outside. My observer told me that I was going to get some low marks on the strike zone, until he finally moved behind me and saw about what I saw. The batters never did move up in the box and this pitcher probably had 13+ KO's.

A day later, the same teams played and the same pitchers threw. This time, the curve was not working as well AND the hitters moved up. The pitcher who won a day before got 8-runned.

Argodad said he's always looking for Strike1. Me, I don't care about the count, I want a strike. Call the borderline pitches strikes - I find that far more survivable than calling borderline pitches balls.

I've found that the higher the level of play, the more exact or precise you must be in your judgement. So, a borderline pitch in HS ball is not anywhere near being a borderline pitch in men's majors.

One of our board posters works the pro game. There, they want the entire ball in the strike zone - or so I'm told by some of those who regularly work those games. Different levels of the game have different expectations of the officials who work the games.

[CelticNHBlue]

Originally Posted by Steve M

One of our board posters works the pro game. There, they want the entire ball in the strike zone - or so I'm told by some of those who regularly work those games. Different levels of the game have different expectations of the officials who work the games.

The NPF asked that we make the whole ball be above the knee and definitely call the letters (shift the zone up more to the definition), and the ball actually cross the corner (not the whole ball just tighten up the corners). The reasoning was to try to force the pitchers to be more hittable and potentially add offense (I don't know if it worked).

I do agree that different levels have different expectations, but I believe it is more in the consistency than the actual zone. In fact, in general and IMO, the higher the level - the less the location of the zone matters because both offense and defense will adjust to your zone, just stay consistent so they know the zone. I find that it is in the rec leagues and JO where players are less knowledgeable that they expect the definition zone and are not of the ability to recognize consistency because they have two zones, one for their offense and another for their defense.

I do adjust my zone for the level of the game. For me, the younger/lower levels see a more complete zone (pits to bottom of the knees, roughly box to box) because the pitchers struggle and are not overpowering. As the game gets better, I lower the zone slightly (about a ball on top and top of the ball-top of the knee) and tighten up the corners (half a ball off the plate inside and a full ball outside).

I will guage responses early in games in leagues I am not familiar with and try to adjust to what they want called/are used to having called; they are paying the fees, after all.

[CLBuffalo]

Sorry but what is NPF? Thanks in advance.

[CecilOne]

Originally Posted by CLBuffalo

Sorry but what is NPF? Thanks in advance.

National Professional Fastpitch or similar.

[CLBuffalo]

Thank you.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by CelticNHBlue

The NPF asked that we make the whole ball be above the knee and definitely call the letters (shift the zone up more to the definition),

This is a myth. The "letters" is a nonexistent parameter.

[CecilOne]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

This is a myth. The "letters" is a nonexistent parameter.

Reminds me of the research I did last year which established that the letters are always below the armpits.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by CecilOne

Reminds me of the research I did last year which established that the letters are always below the armpits.

Yes, they are, but the real question is "how far" below the armpits are they?

[argodad]

Here's something that works for me...

Get strike one! On a no-strike count (independent of the number of balls), I'm looking to call a strike if possible. Once the hitter has a strike, she is much more likely to swing the bat. The game goes more quickly (and I rarely catch grief from the offense for borderline pitches that are called strike ONE).

I know I'll miss some pitches during each game -- but I try not to miss strikes.

[ukumpire]

I have been umping for 23 years now, although never had the delight to ump in the USA yet (that all changes end of July) and the one main rule that I have learnt is consistency. Be consistent with the zone and no one coach is going to bait you. As per JV games and the like, yeah sure help the pitchers if it gets to that, I do when i umpire JV games in London, but I always let the coaches know that I am going to help the game!

[bkbjones]

Just wait til I see the originator of the post this weekend.

"Hey coach, thanks a lot. You know that post about the strike zone from last year? We're still talking about it...and you wonder why folks seem to have a different interpretation of the strike zone."

[Dakota]

OK, but how are you going to explain the beavers?

[Chess Ref]

I was trying to stay away from the whole beaver thing, well not forever but that morning.

Anyway I help coach a Girls Junior college tennis team. One of our big rivals has a mascot named the Beavers. Somewhere along the line our girls , during their pre-match chant, have been saying "Eat the Beavers." Now the head coach and I seem to be the only ones who are getting it cause the girls apparently are clueless to what the saying means......Or maybe not

We tried to think of a way to approach them without getting fired, sued or put in jail. Haven't come up with a way yet so 2-3 times a year we get to hear at a Womens college tennis match "Eat the Beavers".