# MLB play by play animation question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-play-by-play-animation-question/963979>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Tags:** baseball-mlb\
**Created:** [May 5, 2022, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-play-by-play-animation-question/963979 "2022-05-05T00:14:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\
**Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-play-by-play-animation-question/963979/1 "2022-05-05T00:14:48Z")

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I’m watching the Cubs/Sox game on the MLB game day view… The strike zone is comprised of 9 translucent boxes of red, blue and white. What do the colors signify? Why do they keep shifting?

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**Author:** ![omenran](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omenran/32/3318_2.png) [@omenran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omenran)\
**Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-play-by-play-animation-question/963979/2 "2022-05-05T01:13:44Z")

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Boxes like that are usually heat maps of where the batter hits pitches, though it could also be tracking pitch location. But, assuming it where the hitter makes contact with the zone, it changes with each hitter and their swing.

More Red would be their preferred locations and more blue less.

I don’t use MLB gameday so I could be wrong.

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**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\
**Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-play-by-play-animation-question/963979/3 "2022-05-05T01:39:39Z")

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> [@omenran](#):
>
> Boxes like that are usually heat maps of where the batter hits pitches

Yup - that’s what the gameday screen is showing. I don’t think it’s anything more than “red=above average”, “blue=below average”.

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**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\
**Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-play-by-play-animation-question/963979/4 "2022-05-05T01:45:24Z")

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Okay. That sounds logical. Thanks guys.