Any In your best judgement, would this be a ball or a strike?
- Thread starter djcs1204
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Gulf Coast Blue
Addicted to Softballfans
If it is over the back shoulder......it is a ball......it does not matter where it lands........
Joel
djcs1204
King Jackie!!!
I know that, but I had an ump tell me "it didn't get above 10' high and landed two ft behind the plate. Can't be anything but a strike." Idiot.
djcs1204
King Jackie!!!
One pitch, couldn't do that. We did however "overthrow" the catcher a few times lol.
BretMan
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DeputyUICHousto
Addicted to Softballfans
Duh
The height of the batter would make a difference. I once had Matt Bullard of NBA "fame" on my field. He's almost 7' tall. His strike zone is a bit different than the 4'6" girl in co-ed.
The height of the batter would make a difference. I once had Matt Bullard of NBA "fame" on my field. He's almost 7' tall. His strike zone is a bit different than the 4'6" girl in co-ed.
Why? Did the catcher's glove do something wrong?
Gulf Coast Blue
Addicted to Softballfans
But.......the umpire called it a strike........so guess what.......
Strike.........
Joel
guzzler2209
The Veteran
It would seem that if that pitch was over the back shoulder the batter must have been standing in the front of the batters box (unless he was 4' tall). It's where it would cross the batter if standing even with the plate, correct???
second2noone
Active Member
just swing the bat. hard to say without actually seeing the pitch.
Hebrew Hacker
Derby Jew
Best use of quotes I've seen in a while.
oppo
Coach
I think your opinion doesn't mean **** on a judgement call. All that matters is what the ump calling the game thinks. Every ump has their own strikezone and it is a players job to adjust to it. Right or wrong, that always has and always will be part of the game in slowpitch, fastpitch, and baseball.
TheLacinStation
Addicted to Softballfans
No matter what, you cannot escape the laws of physics. A pitch, released at a height of 3' (which I figure is pretty average), that attains a maximum height of 8' and lands 2' behind home plate will cross the front of home plate at a height of 21.25". For a pitch with a maximum height of 10', and all other conditions the same, the ball would be at a height of 27.21" when it reaches home plate.
Either the dimensions given in the OP are off or Eddie Gaedel was hitting.
Either the dimensions given in the OP are off or Eddie Gaedel was hitting.
BretMan
Addicted to Softballfans
Yes, that is correct.
Kind of dumb to ask us to use our judgment to judge something we didn't see based on second hand information from one person that obviously has a vested interest in the outcome. But the "explanation" you got from the umpire is even dumber.
Who cares how high the pitch was or where it landed? The umpire should call it a strike based on where it crosses the plate in relation to the strike zone. Giving players half-assed explanations like this that don't have any basis in the actual rules usually just creates more problems than the umpire might think he's solving.
It used to be if you threw a pitch 12' high and it landed within 2' of the back of the plate it was always a strike so all the batters adjusted to that and stood in the back of the batters box. Now all the players think they have to stand in front of home plate, because that is what the major players do, making a 10' pitch landing 1' behind home plate a ball because it is over the shoulder. With the arc being dropped down to 10' they should allow the 2' deep strike all the time since the pitcher already has to put it on a tee.
NCASAUmp
Un-Retired
You really don't know what a strike is, do you?
jimmermc
Pitcher
I'd love to see the OP draw the path of the pitch he is describing. Doesn't seem possible in my head. Yet, your math matches exactly what I was picturing given the arc and landing spot of the ball.
irishmafia
Addicted to Softballfans
Actually, while it is not the basis for ruling on the pitch, it probably isn't far from the truth depending on the height and natural stance of the batter.
Fin09
Addicted to Softballfans
If your measurements are accurate, and it didn't go above 10', and landed 2' behind the plate, I'm going to have to agree with the umpire here. The pitch will reach 10' a little past the halfway point, so assuming a normal sized male, I don't see how that pitch could pass over the height of his back shoulder as it crosses the plate. Sounds like someone owes beer to me.
andy-rockstar
Living for the Cit-ay
If it's anything like 1-pitch here, anything remotely close is a strike. Everybody knows this going in, and it is what it is.
MrEye
Addicted to Softballfans
I think that's what got skipped over here - the OP said it was one-pitch. Seriously? You let something that close go in a one-pitch game and you come to the internet to whine about it?
I usually don't encourage flaming here, but, man, you deserve every bit you get.
I usually don't encourage flaming here, but, man, you deserve every bit you get.
Darkness
Starting Player
Let's actually solve this for kicks.
Assumptions:
Height of ball at release = 3'
Max height of ball = 8'
Height of shoulder = 4.5'
Distance from release to the front of home plate = 45'
Drag on ball = .3 (estimation on baseball)
The ball is 12" in circumference
1) we'll find out the relative heights.
Starting height = 0', max height = 5', and height at plate = 1.5'. Landing is at -2.8' (including ball radius).
2) determine the starting vertical velocity
h = (vy^2)/2g. We find that vy = 17.944 ft/sec
3) The time to reach desired heights is
y = vt + .5at^2.
At time = 1.0252 sec the ball reaches the plate (at shoulder height)
At time = 1.2569 sec the ball hits the ground
(Time between a strike and hitting ground = .2317 sec)
4) Find the horizonal velocity
vx = 45'/1.0252sec * .7 (drag) = 30.73 ft/sec (21 mph)
5) Calculate how far the ball falls in .2317 seconds
(30.73 ft/sec) * (.2317 sec) = 7.12'
The ball hits 5.4' behind the plate!
** If we assumed max height = 10', the ball would hit 3.2' behind the plate **
(reference = http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/traj.html)
Assumptions:
Height of ball at release = 3'
Max height of ball = 8'
Height of shoulder = 4.5'
Distance from release to the front of home plate = 45'
Drag on ball = .3 (estimation on baseball)
The ball is 12" in circumference
1) we'll find out the relative heights.
Starting height = 0', max height = 5', and height at plate = 1.5'. Landing is at -2.8' (including ball radius).
2) determine the starting vertical velocity
h = (vy^2)/2g. We find that vy = 17.944 ft/sec
3) The time to reach desired heights is
y = vt + .5at^2.
At time = 1.0252 sec the ball reaches the plate (at shoulder height)
At time = 1.2569 sec the ball hits the ground
(Time between a strike and hitting ground = .2317 sec)
4) Find the horizonal velocity
vx = 45'/1.0252sec * .7 (drag) = 30.73 ft/sec (21 mph)
5) Calculate how far the ball falls in .2317 seconds
(30.73 ft/sec) * (.2317 sec) = 7.12'
The ball hits 5.4' behind the plate!
** If we assumed max height = 10', the ball would hit 3.2' behind the plate **
(reference = http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/traj.html)
Last edited:
KDEflyers
Addicted to Softballfans
This.
But.......the umpire called it a strike........so guess what.......
Strike.........
Joel
But unfortunately this is all that counts.