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Early returns
Scoring down, strikeouts up after one week of play
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Posted: Monday April 09, 2001 5:58 PM
NEW YORK (AP) -- Home runs and scoring were down and strikeouts were up in the first week of the rule-book strike zone, which players say isn't being uniformly enforced.
"They're calling some high strikes. It differs from umpire to umpire," New York Yankees leadoff hitter Chuck Knoblauch said.
There were 227 homers hit in the 91 games during the first week of the season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, baseball's statistician. The average of 2.49 homers per game was down 9.1 percent from the 2.74 homers per games during the opening week of last season.
Scoring was down, too, with the average runs per game declining 6.7 percent, from 10.68 to 9.96.
Umpires get help
BOSTON (AP) -- The technology built to monitor planes and missiles soon will be tracking Pedro Martinez fastballs.
Cameras and other gizmos designed to help umpires tell whether they're getting the hang of baseball's strict interpretation of the strike zone were installed Monday at Fenway Park by QuesTec.
There are no plans to replace an umpire's judgment with that of QuesTec's "Umpire Information System." But developers of the technology and baseball officials say some objective feedback, which umpires can see on laptops after a game, will help make for more consistent calls.
"The only feedback available to umpires has been the opinions of people that invariably have a worse angle on the pitch than they do," said Paul Baim, an engineer and baseball fan who has worked on the technology for QuesTec and its collaborator, Atlantic Aerospace.
The system, an upgrade of technology used on Fox TV broadcasts, pinpoints a pitch within two-fifths of an inch. Umpires will be able to view pitch data, video clips and batter snapshots on their laptops after a game. The final display format has yet to be determined.
QuesTec began testing the technology at a fall league last year and at spring training in Arizona. The company, which has a five-year contract with baseball, hopes to begin using the system at six yet-to-be determined major league parks by May.
The system installed at Fenway marks the first time it has been tested at a major league park. It won't be used during games at Fenway.
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Cleveland manager Charlie Manuel said inconsistency among umpires may be partly responsible for his team's .228 batting average after five games.
"It seems like we're a little confused with the strike zone," he said. "I would like them to be a little more consistent with that low ball."
Judging the numbers, the strike zone seems to be larger. There were 634 walks in the first week, an average of 6.97 per game, down 7.8 percent from a 7.56 average in the opening week last year. The average strikeouts per game increased 5.9 percent, from 13.02 to 13.79.
While commissioner Bud Selig expressed hope the change in calling the strike zone would speed the pace of games, the average time of a nine-inning game during the first week of the season was 2 hours, 56 minutes, just one minute shorter than in the opening week last year.
"They've called some breaking balls they wouldn't have called last year," Detroit Tigers manager Phil Garner said. "That's good. Those are strikes."
After years of watching the strike zone drift lower and get wider, the commissioner's office told umpires during the offseason that it wanted the strike zone enforced as it is written in the rule book. That says a pitch should be called a strike if any part of a ball crosses over any part of home plate, and if the pitch is between the hollow of the knee and the midpoint between the belt buckle and shoulders.
Many players haven't noticed any change, but most have seen just two umpire crews. Alderson did not return telephone calls Monday seeking comment.
"It's not especially different," Baltimore outfielder Brady Anderson told reporters Sunday. "They are supposed to change it, but you guys can see the difference where you sit as well as I can. I haven't had one that I questioned yet."
To get a better measure of what is and what isn't being called, baseball contracted in February with QuesTec Inc., to install PitchTrax measurement technology. It was tested at Scottsdale Stadium during spring training and is to be installed during the third week of the season at Fenway Park in Boston.
While the debate continues, Yankees manager Joe Torre said he can tell there's been a change -- not by watching games, but from reading box scores.
"Glavine walked six the other day," he said, a reference to Atlanta ace Tom Glavine, a two-time Cy Young Award winner. "That's an indication right there." |
