Dear Coach, The taunts seem never ending when you become an umpire: "Be consistent!" "That was high!" "That was low!" and a personal favorite "That was outside!" It goes with the uniform and with anyone who must make judgment calls that affect the performance of another individual. In an average youth level game an umpire will see a minimum of 186 pitches. Without getting into the decimal points, of the nearly six pitches the umpire will observe during each at bat, almost four will require a of decision of strike or ball. The other two pitches will require a judgment of fair or foul. On very rare occasions the umpire may have to rule on interference, or other variations of the rules. Every Pitch Is A Strike That is how I start out. It is the umpire mindset. "Every pitch is a strike until it proves itself not to be." Players know that the umpire is not in the game to call "Ball" but to call "Strike." One of my teachers once said that the game is "Baseball, not Base-On-Balls" and it is one thing I remember and carry with me behind every call. How wide is the plate? We all know it is seventeen (17") inches. To this we can add the two and one-half inches of a baseball, or the four inches of a softball and arrive at a plate that is really twenty-two (22") or more inches wide. The ball can pass through an area twenty-two inches wide and still be a strike. How high is the plate? The strike zone above the plate is defined more by practice than rules. Every effort to say it is from point "X" on the batter to point "Y" is really just a pretty picture in the rule book. How the batter takes his hitting stance, and where the catcher places the glove really serve more to define the ups and downs of the area over the plate then a definition in Section 2:00 of the book. You ask, "Do you call 'the black?'" No, as an umpire I simply concentrate on calling the width of the plate. The complete width, plus that bit on the side for the ball, that area that the ball can travel through and still have a portion of the plane over the plate. What is "The Slot?" As an umpire I wear an inside protector and set up in what umpire's traditionally refer to as the slot. You will notice I seem to be a little farther out then you have seen. I have been taught, and now understand, that unless I can see the entire plate, I can't accurately call the complete twenty-two inches. So, I move out a touch. This however is really dependent on your catcher. I prefer to be as closely aligned to the edge of the plate as possible, but if your catcher is taking away any chance I have of seeing the entire plate, I adjust. An umpire can adjust in several ways:
By going wider, the umpire attains an angle into the plate. From here the plate and batter can be easily judged. The ball is tracked easily by the eyes. Yes, you can go too wide as an umpire but when you do this you quickly lose vision of the pitcher, so the problem corrects itself. By going higher, the umpire can overlook at the situation. For years umpires called from a nearly standing stance. Many umpires are simply too low. They are set in a position that blocks their view of the last third of the pitch on its way to the plate. By going to the other side, the umpire can, in an emergency, obtain some chance of seeing the ball in relation to the plate and batter. This is considered the absolute poorest solution since it can rob the pitcher of his "bread & butter" pitch, which is inside. By moving closer to the plate I may gain a complete view, but I also run the risk of losing the "big picture" required to bring the plate and batter into perspective. In umpiring you learn that you can actually be too close to a play. By moving back and up to the plate I gain an angle and a complete view. This is often my best solution. It is hard to believe that by moving away from the plate and the catcher I may gain my best view. Umpiring teaches you that that angle to any play or call is critical to getting it right. As a coach you want to avoid placing me in the situation where I have to go to the other side. Telling me that "You're a big guy blue, you adjust!" may be a statement of fact but ultimately my perspective is forced to change radically. Yes, I can make the calls from there but this is a clear indication that your catcher is setting up high and inside, or far too close. Something is clearly wrong. It should cue you that there may be many pitches where the umpire's view is being obstructed as the ball is coming to the plate. If the umpire does not see the pitch, regardless of how good it is, it is called a "ball." Let's take one minute to look at umpire plate stances so that you can understand how the relationship between umpire, catcher and batter plays out: The batter usually takes a stance well before any play, in fact, before the catcher even gives the signs. It is easy for the umpire to judge the batter's position up or back in the box, and to determine whether the batter is standing in their hitting stance or will have to move (and therefore change the top and bottom of the strike zone) in order to make contact. From the umpire's perspective the only real concern is with the batter who crowds or hangs over the plate. Everyone knows the pitch is about to come tight and inside, usually high or low in the zone. Even the batter knows this. The catcher gives the signs and then as the pitcher prepares to deliver adjusts to the pitch location. Quality catchers do not sit in the middle of the plate all the time. They adjust out and in. For the umpire, the catcher who sets up high is of major concern, particularly if they move inside. There are young catchers who make it impossible to get a clear view of the plate: they jump up, or suddenly move to take your entire view away just as the pitcher delivers. The umpire usually locks into his set up as the pitcher is commencing his motion forward but this is not always the case: o The scissors or kneeling umpire may establish their foot placement early. Once they establish their feet then real compensation can only be done up and down.
o o For the umpire who kneels there is even very limited up or down movement. The scissors umpire can adjust forward and backward to some extent, and up and down to a larger degree. These umpires must be prepared at the same time as the batter is prepared. The traditional wrestler stance umpire, recognizable since both feet are pointing into the diamond, can shift their feet and weight a little. Often referred to as the "squat" stance, this umpire can compensate up and down, can sway to the side a little, cannot compensate forwards or backwards to any great extent. The umpire who uses this stance often sets up more over the center of the plate. One great problem with umpires who use this stance is setting up low and then drifting down on the pitch. This develops because most foul balls drift back over the center of the plate and the umpire learns set up low and to tuck in to a avoid being hit. Watch for this and know that the dropping at the end of the stance is an automatic defensive move. The modern wrestler stance is recognized by the placement of the outside "slot" foot, aimed towards the pitcher, and then the inside "trailing" foot turned at an angle. It is often called the "heel-toe-heel-toe" stance. The slot foot placed so that the catcher's heel is on a line with the umpire's slot foot toe, and the trailing foot, placed so its toe is on the parallel line of the slot foot's heel. This stance is the most versatile and can compensate easier than the other umpires. Since the umpire tends to place the inside foot after the catcher has set up they are in control of all aspects of the stance and their vision. The umpire drops and locks into this stance quickly, in one motion, and can adjust as needed. As you look at the relationship that takes place at the plate, the distances, the angles and the careful placement of batter, catcher and umpire, you should now recognize that more goes into calling a pitch a strike then simply seeing the ball. As an umpire I must see the "big picture." Any less and it become difficult to provide the consistency the players deserve. So, I Call A Strike... I will signal a swinging strike every time your batter makes an attempt to hit a pitch. I want to be candid here, there are times when I do not see the swing at all. This is caused by the catcher's actions and usually takes place on the high pitch. I did not "miss" it, I simply did not see the swing, any of it! If the catcher pops up early to make the catch, or if the glove gets put right in front of my mask then you, in the dugout, have a better view of the pitch then I did. I will say ball and you or your catcher can quietly ask me to correct the call. I will do this just as quietly. I will call a strike every time I believe the pitch was in some part inside that very tall, wide, three-dimensional box I imagine hangs over the plate. Here is a something for you to note: It is much easier for me to call the strike if the ball is caught by the catcher. At the earliest ages that would be the ideal, but at all levels an effort must be made to catch the ball. The ball should meet the glove and must appear catchable without extra effort.
While this is one point of controversy, I want you to consider: the catcher sets up way inside. The pitch is outside, but a clear strike. The catcher makes a diving lung for the ball, either missing it completely or deflecting it back to the cage. Not even my mother would support me if I called a strike on that pitch! The goalie attitude, so prominent as the catcher makes the "big saves" behind the plate, is one sure way to have me ball the pitch. The quiet catcher, who reaches across will get the strike call far more often then the showman. I will call, or get help in calling, a checked swing strike every time I believe your batter has made an effort to contact the pitched ball with the bat. There is no "go-around", "break the wrists" or other indicator, simply "was contact attempted." If I ball the pitch and you want it appealed, ask me. A base umpire only responds to the request of the plate umpire, not the catcher, pitcher or coach. This is part of the actual rules and our working system: if the plate umpires misses a swing attempt then only that umpire must ask for assistance on the call. I will call a strike every time your batter attempts to bunt a pitch. A bunt is an attempt to meet the pitched ball with the ball. The moment I determine that meeting effort took place then the strike is called. Simply squaring is not enough, an effort to meet the ball is important. Failing this, I will declare the pitch a "ball." How You Can Help Call Strikes You know as an umpire I a predisposed to calling strikes. You know I am prepared to give your pitcher they complete width of the plate, and to call up and down with as much accuracy as possible. Here is what you can do to help me call strikes: 1. Instruct your pitchers to be consistent in their preparation and set up. I do not mean always using the same timing on what they do, just give me a consistent look. The balance will help them and since the batter and catcher will settle into a rhythm, the umpire will also be able to settle into a rhythm that is comfortable and strikeable. 2. Insist your pitcher actually take signs or pause and at least look like they are taking signs while on the rubber. This is a critical timing element in baseball. 3. Young catchers are often too far forward or too deep in the box. Show them how to set up a consistent distance from the back leg of the batter. A catcher who is too close makes seeing the plate impossible regardless of how I attempt to compensate. This often leads to injury or interference. A catcher who is too far away means catchable strikes roll in the dirt, and are called "ball" as a result. An interesting observation on the "too close" catcher is that they are also the one who sets up high, down the center of the plate, almost all the time. 4. Teach your catcher to stay tucked out of the umpire's view. He should receive the ball by bringing the ball towards his or her body, not stabbing forward to snag the ball. 5. Teach your catcher to set up outside and inside and not stay over the center of the plate at all times. Remind him that it is the catcher's responsibility to give me a clear view of the pitch. 6. Teach your catcher to hold the glove for a moment and not jerk the glove back into the catcher's idea of the strike zone.
7. Teach your catcher to make a throw down to a base without taking away the pitch from the pitcher. They must learn to stay down and then come up throwing in one motion. 8. Teach your batters how to bunt. One of the hangovers from early age group games, when runners cannot lead-off, is batters who square to bunt early and stay there. Do that in an upper level game and either the pitcher is throwing at the batter's hands, the catcher's is jumping up, the defence is not responding, everything goes wrong, usually all at once. Some final thoughts It can take an umpire many years to define that space in the air. It is not an easy task to call pitch after pitch and remain consistent throughout a game that can go several hours under the hot sun. You know that I am ready to give your pitcher the benefit of the doubt at the plate. You also know that there are things within your control that will assist your pitcher in getting the calls needed to get out of each inning. Now if this game were only as simple as balls and strikes!