Recently we have been getting some comments about the strike zone. Every year there are valid questions on what is and what shouldnt be a strike.....Now I'm not going to answer every question with this thread, but I thought it might be a good start to generate some understanding....
Understand that this is my thoughts, and my experiences and they are coming from an active working umpire, and not from a strict clinician point of view.....
The strike zone is:
If you can imagine an invisible floating column, 17 and a half inches wide that extends from a horizontal line at the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and at the lower level is the hollow beneath the knee cap. The zone is determined by from each batters stance as the batter is prepared to swing at a pitched ball
So as we know the strike zone changes for a 5'6" batter to a 6' batter...... Calling balls and strikes consistently is the goal. I hesitate to offer this statement since usually this is the Childs way out, but I will offer that it isn’t as easy as it seems.....But I will guarantee you that I will keep trying to get better.......
All of this adds to each umpire having their “own” zone....even as we all try to adhere to the rule book definition. I believe that serious umpires all try to call the strike zone as described in the rule book. Going back on my training, I can tell you based on video proof, that I call the borderline pitch inside and low a strike, but the outside and up pitch a ball.....now that is defining "my zone" over the strict rule book zone....that isn’t an arrogant notion on my part. It is just what happens when I am behind the plate attempting to judge a 3 dimensional strike zone that changes based on the batters height. Don’t know, not sure what I can do as a human to improve on that.
I try and keep as consistent a zone as possible to avoid problems, but it is what it is. Its a condition of my height, my stance, my experience and probably a hundred other factors.......I keep working to refine my zone to fit into the rule book, but truth be told, I probably wont ever get it book rule perfect.....
At my last clinic I attended, the ideal strike zone was described as an egg………more narrow up high and wider as you go lower then tapering back in at the bottom. This is a result one of those Computer tracking tools that find the optimum zone. I’ll never get to work with that level of technology but I would sure love to use it as a training tool.
People often ask about the Black and is it a strike ……In my world it is….. In higher baseball the black beveled edge is not even visible since it is buried below the ground. But most certainly at the most levels of baseball the black is absolutely considered part of the plate for the purpose of calling balls and strikes....
I do my best to contain my zone inside/outside, but in calling the black a strike, part of it has to do with the fact that the black is a half inch wide and the baseball is 3inches wide...a ball passing over the black can also be in the zone....asking amateur umpires to not call the black and Youth pitchers to not expect the strike call on the black is not realistic.
The vast majority of umpires, players and coaches expect a minimum of a ball width on the edges of the plate to be called a strike......
It is my hope that most players are not encountering the "Eric Gregg" zones..., a ball off the plate is not what I would constitute as a gross misses......But if a command pitcher has hit the zone all day, do they get that strike?.......probably.....but not as arrogantly intentional as you might think...a good pitcher/catcher widens the zone with good mechanics......
Hope this helps you see my view....Calling a good strike zone is where an umpire makes his reputation and it is something I work hard on.........Despite all our efforts, I feel there will always be some variance.......but I will try to get better......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.......
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