THE STRIKE ZONE

Kermit,

Please note the balls marked in brown are NOT strikes

[

Now Doug that is a good response. However, some games I've done this fall I need the brown balls so not to be on the field for 4 hours.

I dunno, a couple of those don't look too bad...

However, if any portion of the ball passes through even the edge of the zone, it is a strike. And the zone is three dimensional.
{You can tell who is a pitcher's dad and who is a hitter's dad, can't you?}

Now hold on there.....

I have been told that as long as the ump is consistent, those brown dots (and even some further to the right) are strikes.

Well, if you want to get down to it, anything the blue calls a strike is a strike.

Doug's reply is genius....

quote:

Originally posted by Panther Dad:
Doug is a genius....

Fixed it for you

quote:

Originally posted by Dad0406:
Now hold on there.....

I have been told that as long as the ump is consistent, those brown dots (and even some further to the right) are strikes.

The JPEG was too small to replicate what we saw at Grapevine last spring....couldn't get the balls that far outside.

If the umpires called the strike zone as defined in the rulebook there would never be any scoring.

Can you imagine a major league pitcher with the strike zone as shown above?! The batters would not have a chance.

Thank goodness umpires call the "zone" like they do instead of what is in the book.

I'm not sure about that. The top of the zone used to be considerably higher and they still managed to score runs.

quote:

Thank goodness umpires call the "zone" like they do instead of what is in the book.

Doug did you see this from Crawdad. Spoken like a true pitchers dad, just kidding Steve.

See Doug, I do a excellent job not calling the defined zone. Thanks for the support crawdad.

Zone is too generous in youth baseball and much less pitcher friendly in pro ball.
If called like the book says, there maybe less homers but more balls put in play.
“See more offence post”.
Umpires should call the game from the dugout or the stands, coaches and parents think the view is better from there anyway.

quote:

Originally posted by Texan:
I'm not sure about that. The top of the zone used to be considerably higher and they still managed to score runs.

It was also in the rule book that the batter got to define his own zone at each at bat. If the pitcher could not meet the batters criteria the pitch was a called "ball". In other words if the batter preferred his pitches at the "belt" then it was up to the pitcher to deliver them there.

Should we go back to that too?

I somehow think that if Roger Clemens was given a strike chest high then that would pretty much spell the end for any chance the batter might have at to hit off him. I have a feeling that a 95 mph tailing fastball just under the armpits is not an easy thing to hit.

I like how the zone has evolved just fine. There seems to be a pretty good balance between the pitchers and hitters if you ask me. We've alreay brought in the fences (just look at Yankee Stadium - for those of you who have never been there when you walk through the monuments in the OF that used to be the ACTUAL playing field years ago!).

Again, as a pitcher OR a batter all you can ever ask for is consistency.

Crawdad i agree with you. Just think if that pitcher from the Tigers, don't recall his name the other night that was throwing a 106 MPH fastball. You give him the chest its over.

Crawdad, you assume that Clemens could hit that spot at will. And that just doesn't happen. Watch how many times the pitcher misses. The catcher sets up one place and the ball goes another.

I would like to see it called by the book. It worked just fine that way for years. But then I'm a pitcher's dad.

And the midpoint is not "just under the armpits".

i have to agree with SWAC, that you want to call the outside corner sometimes, but as long as it is consistent. As a pitcher/hitter, you lovbe that outside as a pitcher and you don't mind it as a hitter as long as it is consistent.

If "consistency" is all that matters, then why is it even DEFINED in the rule book?

I have only been a part of this group for 5 or 6 months but we keep coming back to it this topic.

As a fan of the the great game, at this age ( 15 to 18) I want an umpire to the strike zone as it has evolved with a little room for error for young men. I want hitters to swing the bat and pitchers to bring the ball to / or very close to the strike zone.

At or below the letters to just below the knee. If the umpires dont't call the high strike they better always call just below the knee.

Because at the next level, just below the knee gets called a strike. Most pitchers that can make that pitch make a good living by throwing the ball there. Also, most hitters that can hit the ball there make a good living as well. Both of them have fun playing the game.

Balls that pass through the strike zone are strikes period, right to left ---up to down- - inside to outside- I don't care. Call the **** pitch a strike....because it was. Good hitters should be able to hit those pitches and good pitchers should get the called strike if the batter does swing.

Next Topic Please.

quote:

Originally posted by SWAC:
Now Doug that is a good response. However, some games I've done this fall I need the brown balls so not to be on the field for 4 hours.

Besides yourself..who do you think your helping here. certainly not the pitcher, or the umpireing profession (or lack there of) Lil joey gets six inches off the plate he will never learn to pitch inside or get movement or change speeds, he will learn to hit one spot outside. When he gets a "real" umpire he gets flustered and or shelled and his entire team,coach and DAD go ballistic over the umpire thus creating stress on the ump and he quits, leaving the bad umps to reign. (Jeeeeez i can turn this into several threads and type all day)

I guess the point is your not helping anyone by calling a "bad" game. Ideally consistancy (should) be not only from game to game but umpire to umpire. this would teach the hitters and pitchers HOW to hit and pitch within the defined strike zone.