Strike Zone Question

[MTR]

A good umpire has already indicated any issues a pitcher or coach has with pitches. Many umpires will have a continuing conversation with catchers concerning what the umpire is seeing and calling. A good catcher will use that information to get their pitcher to where they need to be effective. I've seen catchers take over a game by the 3rd inning and call a great game in spite of the coach's effort to be in control.

Unfortunately, many egotistical (IMO) coaches, most at the college level, some wannabe's at the HS/TB level, demand the umpire never talk to their catcher. This I could understand if the umpire was being chatty, but not if providing (not coaching) simple pitch information. The problem is if there are issues the umpire cannot provide information and the pitcher and coach become that much more frustrated because there is no communication.

Before anyone gets upset, understand, I'm not talking about coaching the catcher, but simply providing information as to what the umpire is seeing. And to both teams.

Regardless of whay you may believe, the only person who can truly see the strike zone is the one that has no other job than to do so. The catcher may think a pitch was a strike, but the catcher has other tasks at hand other than just watching the strike zone. There is no argument that umpires vary on what that strike zone may be, then again, the lack of definitive physical focus points doesn't help.

 

[LAdad]

I really don't care what the strike zone is as long as Blue is consistent with both teams. Its critical that your batters and pitchers adjust their hitting and pitching to accomodate each games strike zone. I have seen games where shins were low strikes and shoulders were high strikes. The better teams will adjust more quickly and use it to their advantage.

True when it comes to high and low. Less true when it comes to shifting in or out. Especially frustrating is when the Blue squeezes the strike zone from the sides. It's not that the pitchers (at higher levels) can't make the adjustment, it is that the adjustment forces them to throw meatballs. Not so much in TB, but in HS every now and then I see umps who think that the ball needs to be substantially over the white.

 

[MTR]

True when it comes to high and low. Less true when it comes to shifting in or out. Especially frustrating is when the Blue squeezes the strike zone from the sides. It's not that the pitchers (at higher levels) can't make the adjustment, it is that the adjustment forces them to throw meatballs. Not so much in TB, but in HS every now and then I see umps who think that the ball needs to be substantially over the white.

Why would an umpire make the game more difficult by doing that? The umpire ISN'T on the clock and by "squeezing" the pitcher, the game is going to just last that much longer. I'm not saying that some umpires don't have a postage stamp for a strike zone, but some people think umpires are out to get them and I seriously doubt it is because they are intentionally trying screw over a good pitcher.

 

[starsnuffer]

At least the postage stamp sized strike zones are clear. It's the kidney beaned shaped strike zones that kill me.

-W

 

[quincy]

My DD was pulled out of a game once last year, I pulled her. She struck out the inning before looking at an eye high fastball, when she was pitching the next inning she was throwing pitches right down the middle and everything she threw was called a ball. I saw she was extremely frustrated so she was pulled.

Going to tell the umpire what we were doing I happened to walk into a conversation between the Tournament commissioner and the umpire. Tournament commissioner was telling/ asking the umpire why she was not calling my DD’s pitches strikes. New experience for me, never heard an umpire getting a dress down by their boss during a game.  It does not matter what she said, she was trying her best.

It was not an Issue, we switched pitchers and moved on. No complaints, no yelling. If the pitchers were switched it would of have went our way. My DD learned something.

DD is smart enough to probe umpires to learn their strike zone, it is fun to watch.

We have been fortunate that all out umpires have been fair and trying their best.

 

[MTR]

Going to tell the umpire what we were doing I happened to walk into a conversation between the Tournament commissioner and the umpire. Tournament commissioner was telling/ asking the umpire why she was not calling my DD’s pitches strikes. New experience for me, never heard an umpire getting a dress down by their boss during a game.  It does not matter what she said, she was trying her best.

It is not good that her best was that bad. Unfortunately, that may be a result of the "Field of Dreams" mentality the umpiring community has been experiencing the past decade.

 

[knightsb]

Above is the illustration from the NCAA rule book, presented as part of their definition of the strike zone.

For upper-level games, with decent pitchers who have appreciable speed and can hit their spots, this is the zone I call in ASA, high school and NSA games- with the the exception of raising the top line of the zone to the armpits. This represents an equal balance for both the pitchers and the batters and is an acceptable zone to participants at higher level games.

Ball or strike?

Assuming the ball is over the plate, is this pitch too high to be called a strike? If so, by how much?

 

[Greenmonsters]

Ball or strike?

Assuming the ball is over the plate, is this pitch too high to be called a strike? If so, by how much?

If this is the first inning of the game and there haven't been enough pitches to figure out the umpire's strike zone, all I can say is that with 2 strikes, she better be swinging and with less than 2, she should be taking.

 

[Comp]

Dont know what was called on it, but based on college zone I would say the pitch is a full ball above the college zone. The entire ball is suppose to be below the bottom of the sternum. Put a straight edge from the bottom of the ball to the batter, looks to me the entire ball is above where I would concider her sternum to be.

 

[knightsb]

Dont know what was called on it, but based on college zone I would say the pitch is a full ball above the college zone. The entire ball is suppose to be below the bottom of the sternum. Put a straight edge from the bottom of the ball to the batter, looks to me the entire ball is above where I would concider her sternum to be.

Comp, it was called a ball. So, this ball would need to be lower than the pictured players front elbow to be a strike.

For those that umpire, do you try to position your eyes at the top of the strike zone when you drop into the slot?