Out of batter's box

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

And that's why I felt that I wasn't doing the conversation justice. The dead-a$$ obvious calls SHOULD be called, or you'll end up looking more incompetent than they already think we are. Fred was advocating that if the batter's foot was smack-dab in the middle of the plate when contact was made, well, you've gotta call it. There are some rules that we just can not ignore.

But those calls where the batter steps across the plate and nearly into the other box? Call those, too! Why? Because again, the batter gained an advantage by stepping out of the box to hit an otherwise unhittable ball.

Otherwise, if his foot is an inch out of the box, no advantage is gained, and the catcher asks you about his foot, your answer is simple. "Catch, I'm concentrating on seeing if I can call a strike for your pitcher. Sorry, but I didn't see it."

That last section, for the record, was NOT something Fred said. That's me talking.

Agreed 100%. I've had to tell catchers the same thing, especially with the very subtle out of the box steps. I've even used the line "if there was a line there, he'd stepped ON it." Works just as well.