Strike zone
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In baseball, the strike zone is a conceptual three dimensional right angle pentagonal over home plate which defines the boundaries through which a pitch must pass in order to count as a strike when the batter does not swing.
Contents |
[edit] Definition
The top of the strike zone is the mid-level between the top of the batter's shoulders and his belt, and the bottom is at the level just beneath the knee cap (the hollow of the knee). The right and left boundaries of the strike zone correspond to the edges of home plate. A pitch that touches the outer boundary of the zone is as much a strike as a pitch that is thrown right down the center (unless hit). A pitch at which the batter does not swing and which does not pass through the strike zone is called a ball. Unofficially, the de facto enforced strike zone may be different at any different level; see "Enforcement" below.
The strike zone is a three dimensional right angle pentagonal. The bottom starts at the hollow of the batter's knees and the top is at a midpoint between the batter's belt and shoulders. If any part of a pitched ball intersects any portion of this zone, the ball is in the strike zone and should be ruled as a strike (unless hit.)
A batter who accumulates three strikes in a single batting appearance has struck out and is ruled out (exception, see uncaught third strike); a batter who accumulates four balls in a single appearance has drawn a base on balls (or "walk") and is awarded first base. In very early iterations of the rules during the 19th century, it took up to 9 balls for a batter to earn a walk; however, to make up for this, the batter could request the ball to be pitched high, low, or medium.
A strike shall be called and added to the batter's count, when he...
- Swings at a pitched ball and fails to hit it (swing and miss, strike swinging). According to MLB Rule 2.00 Definition of Terms, STRIKE (a), a pitch is called a strike if it "[i]s struck at by the batter and is missed". [1] This includes when he:
- Attempts to bunt a pitched ball and fails to hit it.
- Touches a pitched ball with his body while striking at it with the bat.
- Fails to swing at a pitched ball which is called a strike—determined to be in the strike zone—by the umpire. (called strike, strike looking)
- Hits a pitched ball into foul territory when there are fewer than two strikes in the at-bat. (foul ball)
- Bunts a pitched ball into foul territory. This counts as a foul strike regardless of the number of strikes already charged to the batter.
- Touches a pitched ball while it is in the strike zone. (Intentional touching of a pitched ball is not allowed; see hit by pitch.)
- Hits a foul tip; that is, ticks the ball which goes directly to the catcher's glove and is caught.
- Refuses to enter the batter's box when ordered to do so by the umpire. Before 2006, the rule called for the umpire to order the pitcher to deliver a directed pitch when the batter refused to enter the batter's box. This pitch would then be called a strike regardless of its location or the number of strikes already accumulated by the batter. However, this rule did not clarify whether or not the batter had the right to swing at a directed pitch, and as such, there were a few incidents when a batter swung at and put a directed pitch into play. MLB amended this rule in 2006 and completely did away with the directed pitch method. The new rule states that if a batter refuses to enter the box when ordered by the umpire to do so, the umpire shall call time and immediately add a strike to the batter's count without a pitch being thrown.
A normal foul strike cannot count against the batter as his third strike; the third strike must be a swing and miss, called strike, touched ball, foul bunt or foul tip.
[edit] Enforcement
While baseball rules provide a precise definition for the strike zone, in practice it is up to the judgement of the umpire to decide whether the pitch passed through the zone. Historically, umpires often call pitches according to a contemporary understanding of the strike zone rather than the official rulebook definition.
Many factors have contributed to the divergence of the official and conventional strike zones in Major League Baseball. Changes began in the 1970s, when umpires upgraded their chest protection in favor of more compact vests allowing them more movement. Crouching lower meant lowering their line of vision, and caused the boundaries of the strike zone to sink lower. Thus, the strike zone was often enforced such that pitches above the waist were balls, and pitches a few inches outside of home plate were called strikes. As pitchers lost the higher strike zone, they began throwing lower and to the outside, which caused hitters to move closer to the plate.
At the same time, there was a shift in attitude among both players and league officials regarding pitches thrown inside. While pitchers of the 1960's like Bob Gibson regarded it a pitcher's right to throw high and inside, later batters were more likely to take offense at such treatment. Major League Baseball also tightened its rules prohibiting pitchers from intentionally hitting batters, removing the warning pitchers formerly received before being ejected from a game. Soon, hitters moved closer to the plate and looked for the ball outside.
In 2001, Major League Baseball directed its umpires to call pitches according to the official definition rather than the conventional one. Umpires were to call "high" strikes and "inside" strikes, while pitches just off the outside part of the plate were to be called balls. The umpires demonstrated limited compliance for a time, but before long the de facto strike zone had returned to the conventional definition. Shortly thereafter, Major League Baseball began privately evaluating umpires based on the QuesTec pitch-tracking system. Whether such evaluation has brought today's strike zone closer to the rulebook definition is a matter of debate, but most umpires, players and analysts, including the authors of a University of Nebraska study on the subject[1], believe that due to QuesTec, the enforced strike zone in 2002-2006 was larger compared to the zone in 1996-2000 and thus closer to the rulebook definition. Some commentators, such as Tim Roberts of covers.com, believe that the zone has changed so much that some pitchers, such as Tom Glavine, have had to radically adjust their approach to pitching for strikes[2].
Despite the fact that the enforced strike zone is a departure from one of the fundamental rules of baseball, the difference does not garner a great deal of attention. In general, players and managers consider consistency rather than accuracy to be the most important characteristic of a well-judged strike zone. Often in amateur or youth games, the enforced strike zone may differ greatly from umpire to umpire; participants typically expect the umpire to be consistent within the game only.
[edit] Further reading
- Gammons, Peter (April 6, 1987). "What Ever Happened to the Strike Zone?". Sports Illustrated 66 (14): 36-40, 45-46.
[edit] References
- ^ Newswise Social and Behavioral Sciences News | Larger Strike Zone, Drug Testing Reduced Hitting in Baseball Since 2000
- ^ Sports Betting and Gambling Odds Online
[edit] External links
- 2001 Changes in Strike Zone - St. Petersburg Times article.
- Strike Zone MLB website.
- John Walsh, "Strike Zone: Fact vs. Fiction," The Hardball Times, July 11, 2007.
