Watching Baseball Smarter by Zack Hample

Author:Zack Hample [Hample, Zack]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-49860-1
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: 2008-12-23T16:00:00+00:00

THE STRIKE ZONE

Most fans have a general concept of the strike zone. They know it's over the plate and between the hitter's knees and his chest. Or is it his armpits? Or his shoulders? Or no, wait, it's the letters on the front of his uniform?

It's definitely not the uniform. If letters marked the top of the zone, teams would sew their names onto their belts.

The strike zone is determined after the batter gets into his stance; the more he crouches, the smaller the pitcher's target. The hollow beneath his kneecaps then marks the bottom of the zone, while the top of the zone is halfway between his belt and the top of his shoulders. (In case you're wondering, there's no rule that prevents the hitter from wearing his belt—or his pants, for that matter—around his ankles.)

Of course, this is just the rule-book definition of the strike zone. Out on the field, every ump's zone varies slightly. After all, they're human. But if that's not a good enough excuse, consider that the ump has to choose which of the catcher's shoulders to look over, and that affects his ability to judge pitches on the other side of the strike zone. One ump might give an extra inch or two off the outside corner. Another might not call high strikes. The players don't care as long as each ump is consistent for both teams. That way, they can adjust their approach. If the leadoff hitter gets rung up on a borderline pitch, he might return to the dugout and tell his teammates, “He's callin' it today, fellas.” Meanwhile, the relief pitchers might be studying the ump's strike zone by watching the game on a TV in the clubhouse.

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