Question regarding ASA strikezone..

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We played a PGF tourney and the umpire called one of our slappers out of the box on a hit. But there was not box drawn on the field. Said it was in his "judgement". Is that a judgment call?

It is a judgement call when there is no box. The umpires know the batter's box dimensions. Also, maybe your slapper stepped in front of the plate, making the call easy. My question is: Why was there no box lined at a PGF tournament? Was a lined box there initially and it just vanished slowly over the course of the day?

Len

 

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Agree - and yes, why no box at any tournament.

It is a judgement call when there is no box. The umpires know the batter's box dimensions. Also, maybe your slapper stepped in front of the plate, making the call easy. My question is: Why was there no box lined at a PGF tournament? Was a lined box there initially and it just vanished slowly over the course of the day?

Len

 

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We played a PGF tourney and the umpire called one of our slappers out of the box on a hit. But there was not box drawn on the field. Said it was in his "judgement". Is that a judgment call?

Even if there are no lines chalked out, all of the rules pertaining to the batter's box still apply.

It's the same with any other line on the field. If there are no foul lines chalked, does that mean there are no foul balls for that game? No pitching circle, no look back rule? No out of play line, then a ball can never go out of play?

An umpire should have a good notion of the box dimensions and how the box is situated in relation to the plate. If the boxes aren't marked, we are instructed to give any benefit of the doubt to the batter. Don't nit-pick this call and call it only if it is blatantly obvious.

 

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If there are no lines marked prior to the game and you are going over ground rules is your judgement any better than calling balls or strikes as an umpire? Why would the batters box not be marked unless some one is really lazy? I agree with Lenski.

I show my slappers how to politely ask the umpire to mark the approximate batters box with their foot. I have shown the slappers how to use their bat graphics as a way of measuring the box to show the umpire their judgement may be in question. Isn't the forward line 48 inches from the back corner of home plate? Unless the umpire has a tape measurer they are guessing also. The slappers practice their craft by being consistant in their movement forward in my opinion.

This is why Crystl and I teach to hit a ball 9 balls high and 9 balls wide. We only want the umpire to call safe or out and let the hitter determine what they can hit. We practice hitting balls out of the OFFICIAL strike zone as part of our practice.

We have a contact zone and the umpire has a strike zone and the hitter should determine what they can hit!

We also tell them to never look back at a called strike as it was their option to hit or not to hit the ball.

We have 9 whiffel balls on a dowel rod and that measures from the armpit to just below the knee. When you lay it down on the plate that makes it 2 balls on either side of the official strike zone. If you can not hit that you are at the umpires mercy of what their strike zone is no matter if they are ASA, NSA, PGF or whatever or where ever the umpire resides at or from on that given day and moment.

If you watch Crystl's video she talks about it in detail.

Howard

 

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We played an ASA tourney this weekend where the old man behind the plate actually told our catcher that she had to move out of the way (apparently her head was in his way) so he could see the pitch.

We, as well, played an ASA/USA tourney this weekend. Now i have to give props to the 80-year-old ump for being put there, but when the field umpire stopped the game to YELL at our catcher and coach, for checking with the plate ump on the location of the pitch, AND why it was a ball? I asked why the field ump wasnt behind the plate If he was that bothered by it, and i was told it was because the older ump couldnt move around the field.

Now i appreciate the field ump protecting grandpa, but since when is it against the rules to inquire about a pitch to the plate ump?

We have played all three divisions, USSSA, NSA, and ASA. I have to say - there is NO comparison in the umping. ASA has been the absolute WORST! It wasnt just grandpa's game. The blatant bad calls from the field umpires were just as bad as actually having NO STRIKE ZONE. My daughter is a young pitcher, been pitching 3 years in select travel, but still very young. I still have to try and remind her to adjust to the wild strike zones of the umps. It is mentally a battle for her, as she knows what she has been taught and Where NOT To pitch it, but these umps almost force them to pitch straight down the middle to get ? strike! She throws very accurate movement pitches most of the time, but it is pitiful th?se ASA umps cannot call them, because they evidently dont know what to look for.