MLB Ejection 085 - CB Bucknor (1; Brent Strom)

[Lindsay]

HP Umpire CB Bucknor ejected Astros pitching coach Brent Strom (ball three call; QOCN) in the top of the 1st inning of the #Orioles-#Astros game. With none out and one on, Orioles batter Trey Mancini took a 2-1 slider from Astros pitcher Luis Garcia for a called third ball before walking on a...

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[SeeingEyeDog]

I have never agreed with the argument umpires try to make..."If F2 sets up outside and the pitch comes inside, I'm not calling that a strike." There is no allowance in ANY rulebook for the catcher's positioning relative to calling balls and strikes. Strikes and outs get us home. We should be looking to grab strikes whenever we can. Strikes get bats swinging and moves the game along.

I will absolutely acknowledge that F2's framing or dressing of the pitch CAN have a great impact on the judgement of the umpire. That's why F2's spend so much time developing their framing. That's why when we move to software calling balls and strikes, something in the game will be lost because catching is no longer a skill and the position is minimized.

Where framing really helps is on low pitches. If a low pitch comes in at the knees over the plate on a sharp downward angle...and F2 allows his glove to go down and even touch the dirt, it's still a strike but, it does not look as good as that same pitch where F2 gets his thumb under the ball and sticks the glove.

Ditto F2 dropping or not handling strikes cleanly. A pitch that splits the zone on the horizontal and vertical that is not caught cleanly when called a strike, sends most managers of the team at-bat into apoplexy. The perception is...if F2 couldn't catch it, it must not have been a strike. Nonsense!

~Dawg

[dumbdumb]

18 hours ago, SeeingEyeDog said:

I have never agreed with the argument umpires try to make..."If F2 sets up outside and the pitch comes inside, I'm not calling that a strike." There is no allowance in ANY rulebook for the catcher's positioning relative to calling balls and strikes. Strikes and outs get us home. We should be looking to grab strikes whenever we can. Strikes get bats swinging and moves the game along.

I will absolutely acknowledge that F2's framing or dressing of the pitch CAN have a great impact on the judgement of the umpire. That's why F2's spend so much time developing their framing. That's why when we move to software calling balls and strikes, something in the game will be lost because catching is no longer a skill and the position is minimized.

Where framing really helps is on low pitches. If a low pitch comes in at the knees over the plate on a sharp downward angle...and F2 allows his glove to go down and even touch the dirt, it's still a strike but, it does not look as good as that same pitch where F2 gets his thumb under the ball and sticks the glove.

Ditto F2 dropping or not handling strikes cleanly. A pitch that splits the zone on the horizontal and vertical that is not caught cleanly when called a strike, sends most managers of the team at-bat into apoplexy. The perception is...if F2 couldn't catch it, it must not have been a strike. Nonsense!

~Dawg

just wait for sky hawk, it will not be that long. you just better hope it comes to all fields everywhere.

with no runners on base, the catcher will no longer have any incentive (framing and presentation skills can go out the window on all pitches), to catch anything they do not want, especially on a sweltering day, and can just olay pitches if they so desire (no, i am not saying they definitely will). if the pitch is inside, i just wonder who might get hit by the olayed pitch before it gets to the backstop.

[johnnyg08]

2 hours ago, dumbdumb said:

just wait for sky hawk, it will not be that long. you just better hope it comes to all fields everywhere.

with no runners on base, the catcher will no longer have any incentive (framing and presentation skills can go out the window on all pitches), to catch anything they do not want, especially on a sweltering day, and can just olay pitches if they so desire (no, i am not saying they definitely will). if the pitch is inside, i just wonder who might get hit by the olayed pitch before it gets to the backstop.

It's already happening. Ouch! 

[stkjock]

Fun fact, Brent Strom was right behind Tommy John in getting UCL surgery, could have been Brent Strom Surgery.

my son took a pitching clinic with him about 6 years ago, he seemed a good guy, however, in hindsight, not money well spent