Does the Strike Zone Change Based on Height? The way the batter sets up in the batter’s box can give an umpire a pretty good indication of where the strike zone will be for that batter, but the umpire won’t know the actual height of the strike zone until the batter starts to swing. To determine the height of the strike zone, the umpire must determine when the batter begins their swing and then judge the height of the strike zone based on how the batter begins their swing. To add on to the complexity for the umpire, the strike zone isn’t set until the batter begins their swing. Strike Zone Height is Set When the Batter Prepares to Swing If a pitched ball touches any part of that imaginary line and the ball is over the plate, the umpire will call a strike. Once the umpire knows the midpoint between the shoulders and top of pants, which is typically just below a batter’s chest, the umpire will be able to draw that imaginary horizontal line across the plate. But to find the height of that imaginary line, the umpire must first determine the midpoint between the top of the batter’s pants and that batter’s shoulders. To find the top of the strike zone, the umpire will draw an imaginary horizontal line. Top of the Strike Zone is the Midpoint Between the Batter’s Shoulders and the Top of the Batter’s Pants If the ball is over the plate and the ball touches any part of that imaginary horizontal line, then it is called a strike. The hollow below the knee is defined as the “shallow depression located at the back of the knee joint” (source: Wiktionary).Įssentially, this means that an umpire will draw an imaginary horizontal line from the back of the batter’s knee to determine the bottom of that batter’s strike zone. Bottom of the Strike Zone is the Hollow Below the KneeĪ strike will be called when any part of the ball is over the plate and is as high as the hollow below the knee. Let’s take a look at what each of those height factors are for the strike zone. The Height of the Strike Zone is Determined By Player Height and Batting Approachĭue to how each batter has a unique approach to hitting, the height of the strike zone will vary slightly from batter to batter.īecause of the uniqueness of each batter’s approach, the rules allow the umpire to be flexible when it comes to determining the height of the strike zone. 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
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