Opening Up the Strike Zone

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I hear a lot from umpires and coaches that they are going to have a big strike zone in a game or in practice scrimmage to get the players to swing the bat.

I've watched a lot of small HS baseball in AZ and the strike zone does vary from ump to ump but I have never heard of the ump 'announcing' that the zone is going to be different. I think it is just an ump's personal style. I'm OK with it as long as he's consistent.

What conference are you in?

3a south. florence.

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3a south. florence.

There is no excuse for opening up the zone in 3a. Especially for a quality 3a team like you guys. My son used to play travel with Mike S. I know he can pitch..

Now in 1a where we play I could see where the ump might be tempted to open up the zone since some of the pitching is pretty weak. I feel however that it is just the opposite. They tend to squeeze the better pitchers in order to give the hitters a chance....(JMHO)

your son goes to t.v. right?

Yes, T.V. which is 1A so we don't normally run into you guys. We did have a common opponent this year however...Empire.

Yeah, I listen to coach p's show pretty consistantly. He talks about you guys quite frequently. Good Luck to you guys in state!

I have heard umpire's tell the coach of a team that is beating another team by many runs that the strike zone will be large "so the boys better swing". I presume this is in an attempt to end a game that is getting out of hand.

I've had umpires tell me (AZ 5A HS) they will open the strike zone if the other team is getting slammed and the score is lopsided. I don't see all the umpires doing this, but it seems to be a common practice among some.

I guess this opens up another question. Is it okay for umpires to make discretionary calls that affect the game's outcome because they feel sorry for the other team and want to see the game become more fair?

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Originally posted by Coach Waltrip:
I guess this opens up another question. Is it okay for umpires to make discretionary calls that affect the game's outcome because they feel sorry for the other team and want to see the game become more fair?

If an umpire feels that he needs to make the game more fair, he is wrong. His job is to make sure that no team gains an advantage not intended by the rules. Some teams just outplay the hell out of their opponents. That's baseball.

As tempting as it is to open the strike zone, it can open a can of worms, and here's why:

Just the other day, I had a game that was 11-0 going into the bottom of the fifth. Sure, it would have been nice to get out of there quickly; the losing team had no pitching whatsoever and I was getting a lot of testing done on my equipment. However, had I opened the zone, then they couldn't have had their comeback that fell short, ultimately losing 14-13 after their opponent's pitching had the wheels fall off.

If the game needs to be done, there are things that coaches and players can do. I'm not doing it as an umpire.

Totally agree with Matt. Umpires judge / interpret actions that happen on the field. If a team truly cannot compete without help then those teams shouldn't play each other. If it's a mandatory conference / league / district game then get your 12 run lead (little cushion / wiggle room) and then put subs in to get experience.

Well, this was a loaded question...I feel just like you Matt and Coach, but this practice seems to be rather prevalent among some umpires. How can this be changed?

Another loaded question(s) would be how often have any of you seen an umpire's misdirected calls affect a games' outcome? Is it common or uncommon?

Or, am I just an old paranoid coach asking such questions?

Okay, don't answer that last question.

I don't think it really happens that much now a days. When I got started about 18 years ago I felt it happened a little bit more but not as much now. Then again if an ump just misses a ball / strike or out / safe call (which happens) it might lead someone to think they are trying to influence the outcome when it's truly just a missed call.

If it was going on at a game I was coaching it has to be pretty obvious or I'm going to look stupid no matter how I handle it. If I'm sure he's doing it then I will wait until the change of innings and walk up to him and tell him to knock it off one on one. Not make a show or spectacle or anything like that. If he doesn't then I tell his assignor. Let the kids play.

I think that one play can't change the game completely. Honestly, one call by the umpire can change the momentum but it doesn't make a team lose. There are 42 outs in a hs game how can 2% of the outs affect the other 98%. It's impossible, just like it isn't Buckner's fault the 86 RedSox lost the WS or th 03 cubs lost because of a fan.

quote:

Originally posted by Coach Waltrip:
Well, this was a loaded question...I feel just like you Matt and Coach, but this practice seems to be rather prevalent among some umpires. How can this be changed?

Another loaded question(s) would be how often have any of you seen an umpire's misdirected calls affect a games' outcome? Is it common or uncommon?

Or, am I just an old paranoid coach asking such questions?

Okay, don't answer that last question.

I cant understand an umpire that inserts himself into the "direction" of the game, an umpire who is evening up the strike zone based on ability is a not an umpire to me.....Like Matt, Im agree that we are there to govern the "outcome" not the direction....was it a strike, a ball, out or safe.....not adapt the rules to make the game different/faster/shorter.....

To that end... me, my partners and all the umpires that I work with in non-youth baseball would find this type of manipulation definately going against our way of calling the game....

If we have a dominating pitcher, its strikes and outs.....its not our place to adapt to the level of lowest common denominator.......

If I had a partner squeezing one pitcher over another in a game, we would have a meeting in between innings and he would then decide to work the game square or work the rest of the game by himself......

I work hard on my zone.....in season and at clincs....Ive been refining my zone for years and I found that it is not possible for me to stay consistent if I tried to have a separate age or game level zones....

One zone.....for one game....baseball....now, I dont range far from the 15-22 year old levels, so I can safely call the zone I have for all the levels I call....

I believe that the vast majority of working umpires all try to call the strike zone as described in the rule book. It might be a condition of my height, my stance, my experience and probably a hundred other factors.......but I keep working to refine my zone, but truth be told, I probably wont ever get it book rule perfect.....

I always hesitate to offer this statement since usually this is the childs way out, but I will offer that it isnt as easy as it seems.....But I will guarantee you that I will keep trying to get better.......

Ive always been told that behind the plate is where an umpire makes his bones....being a "good ball/strike guy" is the highest comliment many of us get....its where your reputation lives.....

Despite all our efforts, I feel there will always be some variance in zones from umpire to umpire......if at any time I feel I am doing "good enough" and fail to work on refining my game......I will call it a career.......

Piaa_ump,

I admire you for your dedication to umpiring. I recognize there are many hard working umpires like yourself who try to be honest and work at increasing their knowledge of the game. We can all improve at what we do...I think most umpires are honest and try to call the game as they see it. Very honest and sincere guys.

All I ask is that umpires call the game fairly...if he is calling the low outside corner a strike on my guys at bat then he calls it the same way when the other team is batting. Be consistent with calls then it's even all the way around.

I recognize we are all human and can make mistakes so I usually don't fret over calls I think are wrong because the umpires are trying as hard as they can to make the right calls. Of course, as long as the calls go my way...LOL!!! Just kidding.

When addressing an umpire I am always respectful because first and foremost, there are a team of kids watching me and how I treat them. The last thing I want to do is teach players they can be disrespectful to an umpire. Not a good thing...their job is hard enough as it is.

I have to tell a short story once how I once got thrown out of a game against a tough rivalry during a game that determined the first place league standing.

I did not like how the other team's players were acting and bought it to the attention of the umpire. To be clear they were not cheering on their teammate at bat. It was as unsportsmanlike behavior as I have seen in 20 years of coaching. It was being encouraged by their coach by his inaction to correct his players. They were doing things like using their helmets to pound on the metal bench and verbally abusing my pitcher by calling him names. Very, very unsportsmanlike.

Well, the umpire said he saw nothing wrong with it and I told him our Pony league had very specific rules against such behavior, which clearly annoyed him. As the game progressed it become more and more intense with the umpire telling me a couple of times there was nothing he was going to do about it, which encouraged the behavior to grow more and more intense.

Between the 5th inning I walked by him on my way to the 3rd base coaching post and mentioned this was getting out of control. He allowed me to get to the coaching position and when I turned he was glaring at me. He said he was going to settle this matter once and for all and called me over to talk to him. He then called the other coach over to discuss the matter.

During the discussion he told me I was fabricating the whole matter to gain an advantage. I said I disagreed and thought he was losing control of the game. He said he would settle it and make a huge scene about throwing me out of the game (which I have seen him do on several occasions). After which he didn't drop the issue and began to raise his voice so all could hear by telling me to get my stuff and "Go home!"

I did not say one word and turned to walk away as he continued to berate me in an attempt to humiliate me. I showed no reaction whatsoever to his tirade. I gave a quick speech to my guys, gave them all high fives and told them to take care of business. I then left without further incident.

My guys didn't like what just happened, but were inspired to take care of business, which they did in dramatic fashion. They took this umpire out of the game completely.

I appealed the suspension to the Board and it was overturned because I did not deserve to get thrown out. However, if I had reacted badly by getting thrown out, it would have definitely been a different story.

Again, there is a team of young men watching how I behave and disrespect will not be a behavior they will see from me toward any umpire...regardless of whether I get tossed.

Unfortunately, and I have said this often here.... there will always be some people in baseball, (umpires, coaches, parents, players, and staff...etc.) who don't belong in the game....

Those that teach/commit/model or allow unsportsmanlike behavior are the reasons for much of the problems in youth baseball....

Thanks for being a model of respect to your players....

My mentor, years ago, told me: "Good umpires don't create events, they report events."

At every step and in every level, that's served me well for 30 years.