This means umpires have very little time to judge whether the pitch falls inside the strike zone or outside of the strike zone. Major League pitchers frequently top out at over 90 mph for their fastballs. If the ball falls outside of that imaginary line or it does not have the correct height, then the pitch is a ball.Īnother aspect that can make it more challenging for umpires is the speed at which the pitcher is throwing. If the ball touches that imaginary line and the ball has the correct height, the pitch is a strike. This may sound simple enough, but in order for an umpire to judge whether a pitch is a strike or ball they have to draw an imaginary vertical line in their head from each edge of home plate. In both baseball and softball, home plate is always 17 inches wide so the strike zone is always 17 inches wide.Ī strike will be called whenever any part of the ball touches any part of home plate. The width of the strike zone extends from one edge of home plate to the other edge of home plate. The Width of the Strike Zone is 17 Inches So the umpire will make a decision as to where the strike zone is located, but that decision is based on how each player begins their swing.įor a great explanation of the strike zone, check out “The Real Strike Zone Explained” by Baseball Rules Academy. This rule means that the strike zone is set once a batter is about to swing at the ball. The Strike Zone shall be determined from the batter’s stance as the batter is prepared to swing at a pitched ball“ Under the “Definition of Terms” section on page 153 of the 2019 Official MLB Rules, “ The STRIKE ZONE is that area over home plate the upper limit of which is a horizontal line at the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants, and the lower level is a line at the hollow beneath the kneecap. What matters is how the batter begins their swing. So it’s natural for a lot of players to assume the strike zone is set when the batter takes their batting stance, but it turns out that it doesn’t matter how the batter takes their stance. When watching baseball on TV you sometimes get to see the strike zone of the hitter, but the strike zone is usually set in place before the batter begins their swing. This rule might be a bit of a shock to even the most veteran of players. The Strike Zone is Determined When the Batter Begins Their Swing
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |