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Strike Zone


Moe
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Hey. I have umpired for 6 years now, and I am comfortable with my strike zone. I do admit, it IS a little small, but it is consistent. I sometimes do lower level games, and my association says to make my strike zone bigger. I don't think of it, it just happens. When I try to consciously change it, it becomes incredibly inconsistent. Any thoughts how to change my strike zone?

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My advice.....call 'em like you see 'em. Your zone is YOUR zone. Don't call someone else's zone. I personally fkn HATE it when a partner gives me the 'open it up' mech because the game is near the end. Call YOUR zone.

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Are you calling the complete zone, per the rule book? If you are and are mechanically sound; that is, your head stays still, you track with your eyes, and your timing is good, then I say don't change anything.

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Although this generally messes you up for a few games having someone video you from a straight on view ( center field ) for 5-6 innings will really change how you call your zone. The difficulty is finding someone with a camera/lens powerful enough to see that far AND capture the ball going through the/your zone BUT it will be very helpful.

We do this with our umps at least once per year.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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If you have trouble with the outside corner, it might be a tracking, head hight, or slot positioning issue.  Have an evaluator look at where you are setting up.  Also have him look at your eyes to make sure you are tracking the ball all the way to the mitt (it's surprising how many umpires think they are tracking, when in fact they are releasing the ball a few feet in front of the plate).

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I have a bit of a hard time with my outside corner. That's why I said it's maybe a little smaller than I would like. But it is consistent.

Be careful with rationalizing calling a poor zone. Being consistent is good thing, but calling a bad zone consistently is not. Missing the outside strike is a mechanics issue, and it can be fixed. Like others have said, get a good evaluation of your plate work, and a video if that is available. If you have a partner you trust, have him work with you.

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I have a bit of a hard time with my outside corner. That's why I said it's maybe a little smaller than I would like. But it is consistent.

Anything inside the chalk lines is a strike, anything below the letters is a strike, anything where the catchers glove doesn't hit the ground is a strike.

Done.

Get those youth games moving along, kids swinging bats. No youth team has the pitching depth to get through a double header with small strike zones.

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Hey. I have umpired for 6 years now, and I am comfortable with my strike zone. I do admit, it IS a little small, but it is consistent. I sometimes do lower level games, and my association says to make my strike zone bigger. I don't think of it, it just happens. When I try to consciously change it, it becomes incredibly inconsistent. Any thoughts how to change my s

Why is it small? If it is, then do change it and call the whole zone per the rule book. A pitcher shouldn't have to change where he pitches from one umpire to the next because some guys won't call a pitch a strike if it's above the belt or this one has an admitted small zone. Why is it small? I heard a parent say, rather loudly the other day, call either the low strike or high strike, you can't call both. Why not? A strike is a strike is a strike. Call the whole zone. It's that simple.

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Hey. I have umpired for 6 years now, and I am comfortable with my strike zone. I do admit, it IS a little small, but it is consistent. I sometimes do lower level games, and my association says to make my strike zone bigger. I don't think of it, it just happens. When I try to consciously change it, it becomes incredibly inconsistent. Any thoughts how to change my s

Why is it small? If it is, then do change it and call the whole zone per the rule book. A pitcher shouldn't have to change where he pitches from one umpire to the next because some guys won't call a pitch a strike if it's above the belt or this one has an admitted small zone. Why is it small? I heard a parent say, rather loudly the other day, call either the low strike or high strike, you can't call both. Why not? A strike is a strike is a strike. Call the whole zone. It's that simple.

 

My zone is more of a feeling than anything. I try to the best of my abilities to call it as per the rulebook. I think that it might be that my zone is small compared to everyone else in my association. When I was younger, I made conscious efforts to make the zone exactly as it is in the rulebook, but my association tells me to make it wider. I don't think I have trouble with the outside, I think that I could be a little more forgiving to the pitcher on the outside. 

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Back in the early '60s, after I had "given the look" to an umpire regarding a called strike, and after the third strike, my coach back in the dugout calmly informed me that there were two strike zones: "one that the rule book says, . . and one that the ump says.". He said "son, if the ump calls a strike in the dirt, the pitcher would be stupid not to continue throwing it there!! . . . I've always remembered that.

:-)

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I hear this "my zone is small, but hey, it's consistent!" business periodically from guys in my association.

 

I try to avoid working with them, and when I do, I take the plate. The last one who had the plate, it was over 3 hours for a 6-inning mercy game, with over 30 runs between the 2 teams. The pitching was weak, but not that bad. I'm talking about HS varsity...

 

Call the largest zone you can possibly get away with. And maybe slightly larger than that.

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What is your interpretation of the 'zone' for the level of ball you call?

The level of ball I call is an open men's league. Its open to anyone 18+. The baseball is actually pretty good. There are a few former NCAA guys and a few former Varsity league guys. I call it rulebook: Over the plate, no lower than the hollow beneath the knees and no higher than the mid-point between the belt and the shoulders. Like I say, I MIGHT be a little small on the outside corner. I want to maybe give the pitcher a little bit more on the outside edge. 

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Want to avoid squeezing the pitcher on the outside corner?  When you see one of those pitches you think should maybe be called a strike (but you usually call a ball), call it a strike and watch what happens.  I'll bet there will be no negatives.  Here are the positives I have personally experienced when I keep calling strikes on "borderline pitches": coaches start telling their batters to swing at those pitches, batters swing more instead of waiting for a walk, the ball is put in play, the fielders aren't as bored and get more involved in the game, the pitcher feels more confident and throws more strikes.  And in a youth game the kid that has never swung suddenly gets a hit, and beams, as does his coach and his parents.  I have personally seen this happen in my games.  And yeah, the game goes faster and ends before it gets dark.  That generally goes over well also.

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One ball off the corners. Basically if it crosses between the plate and the chalk line and it's the right height, that's a good pitcher's pitch. And for God's sake don't sell that pitch as a ball by screaming ball louder that you normally call it. If it's that close sell the strike. I know when I walk on the field the teams know that I like to call strikes. How boring is calling a ball. Be known as a pitcher's umpire. The only ones who whine are the batters and they don't count.  And don't get me started on stee-balls. If you jump up to call a strike and then ball it, grrrrrrrr. Take crap for calling a strike, not a ball.

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One ball off the corners. Basically if it crosses between the plate and the chalk line and it's the right height, that's a good pitcher's pitch. And for God's sake don't sell that pitch as a ball by screaming ball louder that you normally call it. If it's that close sell the strike. I know when I walk on the field the teams know that I like to call strikes. How boring is calling a ball. Be known as a pitcher's umpire. The only ones who whine are the batters and they don't count.  And don't get me started on stee-balls. If you jump up to call a strike and then ball it, grrrrrrrr. Take crap for calling a strike, not a ball.

 

^^^^ This

 

and maybe a simple change in mindset would help...

 

just think "this pitch is a strike until it convinces me otherwise"

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There are three basic types of pitches - balls that you don't have to think about, strikes down Broadway that you don't have to think about, and strikes that you do have to think about for a moment. With proper timing they all look the same. :) Sent using Tapatalk

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Hey. I have umpired for 6 years now, and I am comfortable with my strike zone. I do admit, it IS a little small, but it is consistent. I sometimes do lower level games, and my association says to make my strike zone bigger. I don't think of it, it just happens. When I try to consciously change it, it becomes incredibly inconsistent. Any thoughts how to change my strike zone?

The problem is NOT that your zone is too small for the lower level games, it's that it's too small for ALL your games.

 

Suck it up and make your zone bigger.

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I will just say this, nobody ever complains if you call the full strike zone. Everyone likes strikes, I don't care what they say. Nobody likes the postage stamp sized zones that create 3 hour 'walkathon' games. I say call the biggest zone that you can get away with, that is the full legal width of the zone, which in reality is about 23 inches wide. You might even get away with a little more on the outside pitch, if you call it consistently.

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I will just say this, nobody ever complains if you call the full strike zone. Everyone likes strikes, I don't care what they say. Nobody likes the postage stamp sized zones that create 3 hour 'walkathon' games. I say call the biggest zone that you can get away with, that is the full legal width of the zone, which in reality is about 23 inches wide. You might even get away with a little more on the outside pitch, if you call it consistently.

23in wide zone? Really?

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