6/4 vs Rays

[wyo-sox]

Big Nate Eovaldi is pitching very well for texas right now.

 

Truly sad he is not on the Sox this year. We've probably won at least a few more games at this point with him on the roster... and that makes a TON of difference in the AL East this year.

[wyo-sox]

Ugly loss. Thanks all for the company during the game.

[Maxbialystock]

No it is not. Strike zones are defined by the rules. The umps job is to enforce if a ball is in or out of that zone- not to make up a zone.

 

What a crock. No umpire is making up his own strike zone. He's simply calling what he sees. The one example cited for me today was the last Rays better in the 1st inning. Houck through a pitch that crossed the bottom line of that invisible rectangle we all see so precisely on our TV screens but which no one on the field of play sees. I looked it up on mlb.com and agree it should have been called a strike--but was in fact called a ball. But then that same Rays hitter grounded out. So, basically, it just caused Houck to throw another pitch.

 

And once again, whether or not we agree with the calls on balls and strikes, its abundantly clear that the outcome of this game will be the result of the players on the field and not the freaking umpires. Rare is the the MLB game today in which anyone can rightfully claim the outcome was decided by bad calls by the umpires. What we see with respect to that rectangle on our TV screens--that is, those calls we disagree with--is just nuisance value. The balls and strikes called by the home plate umpires are well within the parameters of what is needed.

 

From the very beginnings of baseball, what we have always wanted the umpires to do and be is, for lack of a better word, officious. We want them present, decisive, loud, and visible. Make the call and make sure people know what you called.

 

Baseball is a human endeavor and should be officiated by humans, not machines. I hasten to add, however, there seems to be no limit on the use of computers to analyze and predict where balls will be hit, pitchers' tendencies, etc. Plus I'm pretty sure ball and strike calls--which we fans can now find recorded on mlb.com--are reviewed by the umpires as well as MLB officials.

[guinness22]

Perfect ending. Rafi k’s. Tough one. Get em tomorrow. Have a great rest of your Sunday, TalkSox hooligans.

[jad]

Good Lord, Max, I agree with everything you say (well, except for the last paragraph). Something else we can agree on: this was one of the worst games in RS history. And Rafy really REALLY needs to sit.

[Maxbialystock]

Perfect ending. Rafi k’s. Tough one. Get em tomorrow. Have a great rest of your Sunday, TalkSox hooligans.

 

Solid post. Thanks.

[notin]

Agree.... but why not be consistent with where the actual strike zone is supposed to be?

 

EDIT: Actually I don't agree... the umps don't define the stirke zone. The rules do.

 

The rules define, but the umpires interpret it.

 

But at that point, their job is to create an invisible three-dimensional box to hat changes with every hitter and determine whether or not a 90-100mph pitch so much as touched any part of that box. It’s a crazy task to expect to be done consistently, let alone perfectly.

 

Frankly, I think most of the umpires not named Angel or CB usually do an outstanding job at this…

[notin]

Good Lord, Max, I agree with everything you say (well, except for the last paragraph). Something else we can agree on: this was one of the worst games in RS history. And Rafy really REALLY needs to sit.

 

That’s the spirit! Good try…

[wyo-sox]

What a crock. No umpire is making up his own strike zone. He's simply calling what he sees. The one example cited for me today was the last Rays better in the 1st inning. Houck through a pitch that crossed the bottom line of that invisible rectangle we all see so precisely on our TV screens but which no one on the field of play sees. I looked it up on mlb.com and agree it should have been called a strike--but was in fact called a ball. But then that same Rays hitter grounded out. So, basically, it just caused Houck to throw another pitch.

 

And once again, whether or not we agree with the calls on balls and strikes, its abundantly clear that the outcome of this game will be the result of the players on the field and not the freaking umpires. Rare is the the MLB game today in which anyone can rightfully claim the outcome was decided by bad calls by the umpires. What we see with respect to that rectangle on our TV screens--that is, those calls we disagree with--is just nuisance value. The balls and strikes called by the home plate umpires are well within the parameters of what is needed.

 

From the very beginnings of baseball, what we have always wanted the umpires to do and be is, for lack of a better word, officious. We want them present, decisive, loud, and visible. Make the call and make sure people know what you called.

 

Baseball is a human endeavor and should be officiated by humans, not machines. I hasten to add, however, there seems to be no limit on the use of computers to analyze and predict where balls will be hit, pitchers' tendencies, etc. Plus I'm pretty sure ball and strike calls--which we fans can now find recorded on mlb.com--are reviewed by the umpires as well as MLB officials.

 

Which part was "a crock"? I had said "Strike zones are defined by the rules. The umps job is to enforce if a ball is in or out of that zone- not to make up a zone."- in response to the statement that umps "establish" the strike zone.

When you said, "No umpire is making up his own strike zone. He's simply calling what he sees. ".... I'm pretty sure we are saying the same thing with those two comments. My question / premise is that if when he sees it, interprets it, calls it wrong (outside of what the rules say) why not use technology to get it right? It is hard- in fact mindblowing how good of a job most umps do most of the time... but when you can easily make a visible line to ensure it is right all the time- I'm all for it. To me it is not changing anything- just making it more true to the rules.

 

I hear what you are saying and understand your point of view. I appreciate the perspective and back-and-forth. And you are spot on in my mind in regards to the actual outcome of the game... Sox needed to play better.. much better. Anytime any team needs a call or two to go their way to win... they are not a good team.

[dgalehouse]

Very poor baseball by the Olde Towne Team . Straight home, boys. No pizza or ice cream today.

[Bellhorn04]

What a crock. No umpire is making up his own strike zone.

 

Whatever you want to call it, it's a fact that different umpires have different strike zones. Maybe not intentionally, but that's beside the point.

[illinoisredsox]

Whatever you want to call it, it's a fact that different umpires have different strike zones. Maybe not intentionally, but that's beside the point.

 

There really shouldn’t be too many pitches missed inside or outside. Part of the ball either passes over the plate or it doesn’t. Up and down is less strictly defined even by the rule book.

 

I understand why the top of the strike zone is difficult to call; it’s defined as the midpoint between the top of the batter’s uniform pants and their shoulders. That’s not exactly a crystal clear line, and missing a call on something an inch up or down from there is defensible. The bottom is defined as a point just below the kneecap. Again, a little ambiguous but a better defined line than the top of the zone and should be more consistent.

 

Missing calls on balls 6 inches in any direction is ridiculous.

[Bellhorn04]

There really shouldn’t be too many pitches missed inside or outside. Part of the ball either passes over the plate or it doesn’t. Up and down is less strictly defined even by the rule book.

 

I understand why the top of the strike zone is difficult to call; it’s defined as the midpoint between the top of the batter’s uniform pants and their shoulders. That’s not exactly a crystal clear line, and missing a call on something an inch up or down from there is defensible. The bottom is defined as a point just below the kneecap. Again, a little ambiguous but a better defined line than the top of the zone and should be more consistent.

 

Missing calls on balls 6 inches in any direction is ridiculous.

 

I think umpires do their best. Balls are being thrown with more velocity and more spin all the time. The men in blue need help.

[bkzwhitestrican]

The top and bottom of the stroke zone are pretty subjective, no? All players are different heights, some have bigger torsos or longer legs, so in that regard I can understand umps with varying zones.

[illinoisredsox]

I think umpires do their best. Balls are being thrown with more velocity and more spin all the time. The men in blue need help.

 

When my son was a high school wrestler, I was able to observe parents bitching about calls that "cost their kid the match"; this would often spill over to the kids themselves.

 

I told my son I didn't ever want to see or hear him complain about the officiating. I told him at some point, you are going to lose a match via a bad call. I also told him he would win a match by a bad call. It happened both ways at least a couple of times.

 

I did give him an out on this though; I told him when you wrestle a perfect match, i.e., you made absolutely no mistakes and you still lose via an official's call, then you can complain.

[cukes]

Truly sad he is not on the Sox this year. We've probably won at least a few more games at this point with him on the roster... and that makes a TON of difference in the AL East this year.

 

We didn't need Eovaldi, we have dynamite Kluber, great management decisions

[moonslav59]

When my son was a high school wrestler, I was able to observe parents bitching about calls that "cost their kid the match"; this would often spill over to the kids themselves.

 

I told my son I didn't ever want to see or hear him complain about the officiating. I told him at some point, you are going to lose a match via a bad call. I also told him he would win a match by a bad call. It happened both ways at least a couple of times.

 

I did give him an out on this though; I told him when you wrestle a perfect match, i.e., you made absolutely no mistakes and you still lose via an official's call, then you can complain.

 

Great advice. I bet your son is a fine young man, now.

[moonslav59]

I think umpires do their best. Balls are being thrown with more velocity and more spin all the time. The men in blue need help.

 

When you can’t even see the whole strike zone, there is a hole in the whole system.

 

Robo umps, now!

[Hugh2]

Bloom, extend Dugo and thanks for signing Yoshi, although you paid way too much, lol. Those two could be a solid core, but why did Devers get extended ?

 

$18 million is too much for a guy who (at least offensively) is looking like he could be a perennial all-star for the next few years???? OK.

[Hugh2]

Robo umps are on the way folks, pitching framing will not matter and neither will blind umps.

[Dipre]

Whatever you want to call it, it's a fact that different umpires have different strike zones. Maybe not intentionally, but that's beside the point.

 

Is Angel Hernandez not a thing? Because he literally has his own strike zone, and the only reason he still has a job is the ump's union.

[mvp 78]

Is Angel Hernandez not a thing? Because he literally has his own strike zone, and the only reason he still has a job is the ump's union.

 

His zone is more of an amoeba.

 

Will Clark stated that he had a really rough game with Angel once, but kept it to himself. He saw him at the bar later and bought him a round of drinks, but didn't hang out or anything else. For the rest of his career, his k zone was considerably smaller.

[Maxbialystock]

I think umpires do their best. Balls are being thrown with more velocity and more spin all the time. The men in blue need help.

 

Right. Robo-umps. And thus MLB will become the only sport on the planet where the most central part of the game is officiated by computers/cameras and only computers/cameras.

 

Last night's game, which restarted this discussion, was typical of all the games I've watched, especially in this era of replays, rectangles on the tv screens, etc. Despite the fact that the little rectangle told us not every called ball or strike was precisely called, those calls had absolutely nothing to do with the outcome of the game.

 

In fact, allow me to ask simple question. Can you name a single MLB game in the last ten years that was decided by bad ball/strike calls by the umpire?

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Is Angel Hernandez not a thing? Because he literally has his own strike zone, and the only reason he still has a job is the ump's union.

 

 

That the umpires' union has protected the likes of Angel all these years sends a clear message to other MLB umpires.

[dgalehouse]

Somebody posted that wild, blundering Sox play yesterday up on YouTube , set to the old Benny Hill music. As aggravating as it was to watch, it really is pretty funny with that music.

[Bellhorn04]

Right. Robo-umps. And thus MLB will become the only sport on the planet where the most central part of the game is officiated by computers/cameras and only computers/cameras.

 

Last night's game, which restarted this discussion, was typical of all the games I've watched, especially in this era of replays, rectangles on the tv screens, etc. Despite the fact that the little rectangle told us not every called ball or strike was precisely called, those calls had absolutely nothing to do with the outcome of the game.

 

In fact, allow me to ask simple question. Can you name a single MLB game in the last ten years that was decided by bad ball/strike calls by the umpire?

 

Other sports are using electronic officiating pretty extensively now too.

 

As for a game decided by bad ball/strike calls, that's a tough one because it's hard to connect the bad calls directly to the outcome. But if I'm not mistaken, there was a bad call in Game 4 of the 2021 ALCS that might have tilted the game from the Red Sox to the Astros.

[notin]

Robo umps are on the way folks, pitching framing will not matter and neither will blind umps.

 

Nowadays we have viewers who are growing up with the white box on TV and are more critical of umpires on borderline calls. Couldn’t the ump see it wasn’t in the box?

[Bellhorn04]

Nowadays we have viewers who are growing up with the white box on TV and are more critical of umpires on borderline calls. Couldn’t the ump see it wasn’t in the box?

 

And then there's MLB Gameday, which produces hilarious-but-disturbing images of little green balls inside the strike zone, and little red balls outside the strike zone.

[notin]

And then there's MLB Gameday, which produces hilarious-but-disturbing images of little green balls inside the strike zone, and little red balls outside the strike zone.

 

“Why even throw the red ones?”

[notin]

Somebody posted that wild, blundering Sox play yesterday up on YouTube , set to the old Benny Hill music. As aggravating as it was to watch, it really is pretty funny with that music.

 

Certainly apt music, but what isn’t funny with that soundtrack?

 

Even a security video of a clown with a butcher’s knife trying to break into a house would look comical with Benny Hill music…