AETA: this is a real problem, especially with this same fan. Four years in a row, one fan has affected the outcome of a game. We hear and say that one umpire shouldn’t determine the outcome of a game. But neither should a fan. I don’t know what the situation is in this case. Ban him? Could be a bad PR move, albeit possibly a necessary one.
I’m not sure. I’d assume it’s because their stances, position and swings do have their bats really far back, but I don’t know for certain, because I’ve also read it claimed that catchers are setting up further forward.
I do know that overall, CI calls have increased by a gigantic amount. Back 30 years ago this might be called a dozen times a year in the entirety of MLB. Now it’s called more than a dozen times a month. Replays are adding to the total, too.