ball/strike call question

baseball - sit back and wait as long as you can to give you as much time as you can to hit the ball.

softball batter is often at the front of or stepping/running out of the batter box.

when i was an ump it was for baseball (little league) and the point for the call was where the ball is when it crosses the plate.

never having had the batters in front of the plate it makes me wonder if the pitches in sb are called as if the plate was even with the player instead of 1-2 feet behind them.

 

Probably depends on whether the ump is in a tough enough mood to be yelled at. It could be a good strategy for either the batter or pitcher depending on the way the ump is calling.

If he's calling the plate (as he should be) and the batter is in the front of the box or in the back of the box a good pitcher could have a field day with that.

If he's calling the batter instead of the plate it could be pretty rough on the pitcher I would think.

 

I have seen this cause alot of problems for pitchers. If you have a novice/less-than-seasoned catcher behind that plate, and they drop their glove, do not stick the pitch, sit too far back off the plate, then an often good pitch is called a ball.

Without a doubt, a pitch should be called relative to the batter and the plate, NOT the glove.

 

Relative to the batter and the plate or the batter or the plate?

I think it should be relative to the plate and the batter as if the batter were at the plate.

 

Good detail there Phreak.

Yes, relative to the batter and the plate as if the batter were AT the plate.

As often as I have seen umps call the glove, I have seen them call relative to the batter alone. Calling in this matter really takes the ball out of the pitcher's hand. A drop ball that might come in high, when called relative to the slapper in front of the plate, but is clearly a strike when coming across the plate, is called a ball when relative to the batter alone.

It seems to be becoming more and more a novelty to find blue that calls relative to the batter and the plate as though the batter were at the plate, AND believes the corner of the plate, is, indeed, just that - the plate.

 

yay- i guess

glad im not the only one to notice this kind of thing

 

I just read a different take on the strike zone.

If the player moves forwardly or rearwardly, the area above home plate does not travel with her, obviously.
So, the dimensions of a strike zone parallel to the ground are defined by the plate. On the other hand, the bottom and top of the strike zone are defined by the batter, but not her position relative to the plate. The bottom and top are determined on the basis of the batter when she assumes "a natural batting stance."​

So, if a batter is at the front of the box and a pitch comes in above the knees and drops to the ground in front of the plate that could be called a strike theoretically.

That puts a whole new light on the subject.

 

The "natural stance" refers to the top and bottom locations of the strike zone only and not its location from the pitcher. The plate is where the ZONE is located.

NCAA rules:
1.108 Strike Zone
The area above home plate between the bottom of the batter’s sternum and the top of her knees when she assumes her natural batting stance. When the top of the ball is on or within the horizontal plane and either side of the ball is on or within the vertical plane of the strike zone, a strike is called unless the ball touches the ground before reaching home plate.

 

After further discussion.

Thanks