UMP is going to get the pitcher killed

[STRIKE3]

Thank you marriard!

 

[Yellowjacket]

Lots of strike zone variation in High School. I’ve seen them so big you could drive a truck through it. (These are an absolute blast for a pitchers dad....). I’ve also seen them extremely tight. Experienced this last year during the semifinal playoff game against a very talented opponent. Coach and pitcher have to make adjustments. Changing speeds and locations is key......

 

[sluggers]

Does the OP want some cheese with his whine?

Pitchers have to adapt to the umpire's strikezone.
Telling a pitcher, "oh honey, it is not your fault" is about the worst thing you can do.

The strategy doesn't change...determine strike zone, pitch at the edge of zone.

 

[DNeeld]

Things aren't mutually exclusive. A coach and pitcher can adjust during the game AND a complaint can be filed after the game.

 

[Chaz McNulty]

Thanks for posting Sluggers! I always appreciate your feedback! However, I think you are reading my OP and adopting something you may be recalling from your past with your DD. Not real sure, but never said anything about "oh honey, it is not your fault". Did you do that? Actually, after reading your posts, you probably did. Wow. It didn't come from me so must have been something you regret that you did. Not real sure where that came from but it must have come from you so just guessing here. Oh, and if you didn't understand the OP, or not real good at reading which may be the case, the edge didn't work. The umpire clearly stated he would only call down the middle. To help you understand....down the middle means down the middle and that is what he stated and he called.

Starting to wonder if you were the umpire at this game..... Again, always appreciated your posts and responses until this point and hope in the future you will read the OP in better detail before you respond. Sorry, just won't put up with putting words in my mouth I clearly didn't say. If you want to do that, I will be happy to discuss in person but no place for it here. Enjoy the rest of your "whine" which clearly you may have had too much of.
S3

I think he meant find the edge of the middle. See how far the middle extends too. 1", 2", etc., off the middle of the plate.

I find umps that call it ridiculously tight or ridiculously loose are great equalizers. A tight ump will often take the advantage from the team with the great pitching. A loose ump will often take the advantage from the team with the great hitters.

 

[mmeece]

I think he meant find the edge of the middle. See how far the middle extends too. 1", 2", etc., off the middle of the plate.

I find umps that call it ridiculously tight or ridiculously loose are great equalizers. A tight ump will often take the advantage from the team with the great pitching. A loose ump will often take the advantage from the team with the great hitters.

Totally agree. Oddly enough, I've noticed that the tight strike zones tends to benefit the lesser pitcher very often. Quality pitchers learn to pick at the edges of the zone and when the zone doesn't have edges it really hurts them. DD pitched a playoff game last year in which nothing on the inside 3 or 4 inches was called a strike. Unfortunately she took too long to adjust.
[MENTION=7284]STRIKE3[/MENTION] I've noticed that this type of umpire (even back to my baseball days) seems to give off speed pitches a slightly wider zone than the hard stuff. I've always had the theory that in reality these umps have a hard time seeing the ball properly and get a longer look at the slow stuff. Even if that is not the case, when we get one of these types I call many more off speed pitches early in the count to try and get poor contact early. Also, there is nothing better than a good drop that you can throw over the plate and just let it move in these games.

 

[Westwind]

The zone is the zone. It is described in the rulebook. Why do these goobers take it upon themselves to change the rules of the game and then say it out loud that they are doing it? Why wouldn’t an umpire at least attempt to call the zone as described?

Had an umpire tell our catcher last summer “I don’t like anything above the belt.” Really? Who do you think you are? Why would you say that?

Years ago we had a 12u umpire squeezing the zone to about two balls wide and three balls high. Our head coach complained he was going to get a pitcher hurt. He did. It was my kid who took the pitcher out, who was a former team mate. It sucked. Umpire later said “I think we should go back to wood bats”. Yeah, thanks. Or how about you do your job and call a reasonable zone. Because you may or may not have noticed that we haven’t gone back to wood bats.

Meanwhile on some softball board somewhere right now some dude is saying “pitchers that get taken out need to quit throwing it down the middle”.

 

[Westwind]

I invite any and every umpire who does this to be five feet in front of the rubber and throw balls to any age group and see how long he lasts.

 

[sluggers]

Strike3, I've got this weird personal philosophy I try to teach the kids: They are in control of their own lives and their own destiny. They are responsible for their successes or failures...not the umpires, not the coaches, and not the parents. Ultimately, they have have the ball (or life) in their own hands.

I have never said, "Oh honey, it is not your fault" to my kids about anything...sports, school, traffic accidents, traffic tickets, overdrawn bank accounts, love problems, bosses, etc. Parents who blame the umpire or the fielders or the the field or the coach create an "out" for the pitcher--a ready made excuse. I.e., "I didn't pitch poorly. It was the weather/field/umpire/defense/coach."

A pitcher has to take the situation as it is and make the best of it. In this specific situation, the umpire called it the same for both teams. The umpire was fair. That is all the pitcher/coach/players/parents can ask for.

There have been games my DD pitched when the umpire had a low strike zone. My DD was pretty much unhittable with that umpire. Other umpire's had a "fist zone", as my DD calls them. In that case, she was hittable. In both situations, she was supposed to win the game.

The umpire clearly stated he would only call down the middle. To help you understand....down the middle means down the middle and that is what he stated and he called.

Successful approaches:

1) There is always an edge to the umpire's strike zone.
2) Softball umpires are inconsistent.
3) Umpires always favor one location over other locations.
4) A pitcher can, if she is good enough, expand the umpire's strike zone. Good pitchers do it all the time.
5) Batters swing at pitches they think they can hit, not pitches that are "in the umpire's strike zone".
6) Changing speeds always works.
7) Breaking pitches are always effective.

 

[marriard]

... removed for brevity etc....

1) ....

Normally I would agree with all this. And yes, you make adjustments however you can. Life isn't fair.. control your own destiny, no excuses, no 'outs', etc, etc...

However in this case the umpire verbally stated that they are not calling a strike a strike. It doesn't matter if 'it was called the same for both teams' or whatever - this is a line as an umpire you can not cross. They no longer get 'the benefit of the doubt' or 'ump calls a tight zone' - he is now making his own rules up and should absolutely be called out on it.

As I have said, in our umpire room it would have been his last game at least for the season - probably longer.