I’m watching the College World Series (softball) right now, and the umpires are in top form. Whenever they call a pitch, however, it doesn’t seem that they are saying “Strike” or “Ball”; rather, they seem to give a pained yell, i.e. “Yaaaaagghh!” or “Euuuuuuoooogh!”. Or, is this just me, and they’re actually articulately yelling “Strike” or “Ball”? Please note that I have only been to one ballgame in person, and I can’t recollect what the umpire did. Thanks for the help!
In Dave Pallone’s (former MLB umpire) book Behind the Mask he recounts his learning the profession in umpiring school.
While a fist held up is indicative of a strike there’s no sign for a ball and no requirement for any vocalization at all. All that stuff you hear is just tradition.
Every ump has his own style. Generally, though, a strike gets a loud call and a right-hand gesture, often toward the batter’s dugout (so the manager can see it.) A ball gets a quiet comment, “baw,” just loud enough for the catcher and batter. If there’s a gesture, it’s left-handed. If the batter is unhappy with the call, the ump often walks away, so he doesn’t have to throw the guy out for his grumbling.