Something has always bothered me about the way the homeplate umpires call pitches,just recently while watching the world series,it finally came to a head.Those idiot umpires,call pitches strikes,when the ball is nowhere near the plate.I have seen proof of this with the cameras vertical photography.
It clearly shows the pitch to be 3-4 inches off the plate.
I think they should either make homeplate bigger,or find umpires that can see better.
Oh well,now that the season is over,I’ll have a few months to calm down.
Speaking as a former umpire:
The strike zone, while defined in the rule book fairly concisely, is still open to interpretation. As such, some umpires are more likely to call the high strike, while others may have a wider strike zone than other umpires.
The key here is that the individual umpires are consistant with their own calls. A pitch from a lefty in the first inning to a righty batter that is called a strike better still be a strike in the 9th inning when a righty throws it at a lefty.
As long as an umpire is consistant with his calls, everything is cool. No team is given an advantage, and after the first inning or two, both sides will know even the most green umpire’s strike zone.
Yer pal,
Satan
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I knew the umpire was Satan. In 11 years as a catcher, I always knew that subtle whiff of brimstone was not my imagination.
Actually, I agree with him. Normally the first inning or two is spent with each pitcher and catcher determining the limits of the zone, and then working from there. I’ve seen everything from an ump who seemed to think the black outline of the plate wasn’t really to be considered a part of the plate to the strict interpretation of the strike zone to someone who felt the strike zone was ‘from one foul line to the other and from the ankles to the chin because he wanted people up there swinging for an interesting game’.
You can also cheat the zone a bit, particularly on the outside corner, if your pitcher has the requisite skill. If you start can set up outside and show the ump that where you caught the ball was exactly where the pitch was supposed to be, he’ll probably give you a couple of inches out there. If the pitcher does it consistently and shows he’s doing it intentionally, the ump will often give it to him.
[pet peeve]
Mike Piazza is a great hitter and a great ball player. He is not however, a great catcher. I know you love him, Met fans, but let’s not allow your emotion to color reality to that extent. Ivan Rodriguez is a great catcher. Mike Piazza is a great ball player.
[/pet peeve]
Most MLBers are willing to accept an ump’s call, no matter how ridiculous (within reason)–the key is consistency
I agree that consistency is the most important thing (since I have long ago abandoned the thought that anything close to a “common” strike zone is possible). Since we’re on the subject of strike zones, I will chime in to say that my pet peeve is the “Incredible Shrinking Strike Zone,” whether it’s consistent or not.
Bigger is better, folks (keep your minds on baseball, please!). Give the pitcher the black (at least) and the high strike. Batters should be up there hacking, not looking. Those of us above a certain age can remember when games routinely over 3 hours were NOT the norm. The ever-diminishing size of the strike zone is definitely related to this.
According to the miniature catcher in my house and his father, Piazza’s not even the best catcher on the Mets.Pratt is.