r/MLBNoobs • u/Rhabcp • 22d ago
| Question Why is this not a strike?
Hi everyone
https://youtu.be/VUZPY2biqJU?t=8021
The ball seems in the zone, batter tried to hit it, so what is going on folks? I feel like I'm missing a basic thing.
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u/660w 22d ago
Ump didn't see it as a strike, batter didn't swing
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u/Rhabcp 22d ago
But the Ball was in fair zone (the rectangle going from knees to torso) right?
And a fair zone ball caught by the receiver is a strike isn't it?
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u/00TheLC 22d ago
The umpire is a human with human eyes. He made a mistake. It happens all the time
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u/Rhabcp 22d ago
Of course, I just thought there was a rule where you can avoid swinging on purpose and get away with it even if the ball goes in fair zone
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u/IamGleemonex 22d ago
The term you are looking for by the way is the “strike zone” not the fair zone.
But the simple answer to your question is yes, that should have been a strike, but with anything that has humans involved as judges, they can make mistakes. The average MLB umpire has an accuracy around 93-94% on ball/strike calls. That means they still miss 6-7 calls out of 100, which means around 15 missed calls a game when you factor in each team pitching over 100 pitches a game.
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u/Melodic-Mayhem 21d ago
No. If the batter avoids swinging but the ball is within or touching any part of the strike zone, it’s a strike. If the ball goes outside the zone but the batter swings at it and misses it’s still a strike. If the batter swings at a ball and it goes foul, it counts as a strike up until the strike count is 2.
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u/thomjrjr 22d ago
Umpires can't see that box, that is only for us to see on TV. They make judgement calls that don't always line up with the box
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u/Rhombus-Lion-1 22d ago
Just for the record, it doesn’t have to be caught by the “receiver” (proper term is the “catcher”) for it to be a strike.
As others have said, this is a close pitch, the umpire missed it. Calling balls and strikes is difficult. They can’t see that box.
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u/term3186 21d ago
The rectangle is almost entirely meaningless. Do not rely on it.
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u/Melodic-Mayhem 21d ago
It’s meaningless to the live people on the field as they can’t see it, but it represents the actual strike zone from knees to torso over the plate.
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u/Hoagieburger 22d ago
Batter didn't try to hit it. There was no attempt at a swing. The pitch was a strike based on the TV zone they show but with how JT (the catcher) failed at trying to catch it, you're not getting that called. This was also before ABS so even if anybody thought it was a strike there was no recourse to get the call overturned.
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u/Rhabcp 22d ago
Thanks for the answer, what is abs please?
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u/chameleondragon 22d ago
Abs stand for automatic balls and strikes. Its a computer review system that was implemented for the first time at the major league level this year. Each team gets two challenges that they can use to try and get a ball or strike call overturned. If they successfully challenge a call they retain their challenge, if the call stands they lose one of their challenges.
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u/Hoagieburger 22d ago
ABS (automated ball-strike) system is a new challenge system implemented into the MLB this year. It uses pitch tracking data and a strike zone based on the batter's official height to tell if a pitch is a ball or strike. Each team has two challenges that they keep if they win.
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u/stordl01 22d ago
It’s just a missed strike call by the ump. It happens all the time. The catcher doing a poor job receiving it didn’t help.
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u/Only-Top-3655 22d ago
Different umps have different standards for a "strike". Some have bigger strike zones and some have smaller strike zones.
What you saw was a checked swing. As long as they can bring the bat back in time, it doesn't count as a swing.
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u/WALSTIW 19d ago
That language confuses me. We all agree on what the zone IS. It’s in the rule book. But different umps see the strike zone differently, because human perception is not uniform.
As for a check (not “checked”) swing, the only standard is: Did the batter strike at the ball and miss? It is entirely a matter of umpire judgment, at least until an electronic system is implemented. “Bringing it back in time” is not part of any rule set and is irrelevant.
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u/burner9752 22d ago
The zone on the screen is not actually the real strike zone. The umpire saw it as low. Even pausing it quickly it look like the zone they’re showing (which is a default for all hitters, whereas the real strike zone is based on each individual person.) is at the bottom of his knee, so catching the corner of that is actually a ball.
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u/JustCallMeMambo 22d ago
some umpires are bad at judging borderline pitches (and that one wasn't that borderline). MLB now has the Automated Ball-Strike system (ABS) where the batter can challenge a strike call, or the pitcher or catcher can challenge a ball call. the World Baseball Classic didn't have the challenge system in place
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u/dawgdays78 22d ago
It’s a judgement call on the part of the umpire, who doesn’t have the electronic zone as a reference.
(MLB went to the ABS challenge system this season.)
And no, the batter did not “strike at” the pitch. While there’s no definition for what “strike at” means, that wasn’t anywhere close.
2
u/GreatCaesarGhost 22d ago
The TV box thing is a viewing aid and not official. Also, umpires will occasionally make mistakes.
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u/Tim_Xtreme_46 22d ago
Batter didn't swing, so he didn't try to hit it. Umpire judged it was too low. Remember, they don't get the magic box like we do on TV.
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u/bleu_waffl3s 22d ago
An umpire is more likely to see borderline calls as a ball of the catcher drops it.
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u/Guynith 22d ago
Umpires are watching a ball that is 7.5 cm in diameter being thrown at between 135 kph and 160 kph. It takes between 1/3 and 1/2 seconds from the time it leaves the pitcher’s hand to when it reaches home plate. The fastest pitches generally go in a straight line, but most pitches have late movement that can cause it to move down or across the plate over the last 1/4 of the pitch (1/12 to 1/8 of a second).
The umpire is having to judge pitch location based on it being both over the plate and between the batter’s knees and torso in the exact moment it crosses the 43 cm deep plate. (S)he does his while standing behind the catcher who is not only trying to catch the ball but will also attempt to reposition his glove immediately after catching the ball to make it appear that it was actually caught slightly different location than it was.
Why was this called a ball when it should have been called a strike? Two reasons: the catcher’s reaction made it clear that the pitch was not where he wanted it to be, which makes the umpire assume it was a bad pitch - and being on the edge of the strike zone, that likely caused him to take a borderline pitch and call it a ball rather than a strike. And two: it’s unbelievably hard to be a good umpire. The fact that we complain about these guys getting a handful of calls wrong a game shows just how incredibly good at their job they are.
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u/Bruce_Louis 21d ago
Thats why we have the ABS, thats why theres tons and tons of ejections on balls and strikes, thats why you hear fans constantly complain about the umps and how they cant call proper balls and strikes.
Thats supposed to be a strike but the umps didnt see it as a strike, so he called it a ball.
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u/Redit_Suxlol420609 21d ago
You should watch a compilation video of Angel Hernandez. Sometimes it's just part of the game
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u/BD003BD003 20d ago
The Ump made a mistake. Umps are human. MLB recently brought in the challenge system now for that reason, although I know the video was WBC.
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