Looks like the A's are as big of babies as the 9'ers

[Tical21]

The problem will all those K-Zone or whatever you want to call them is that they show what the strike zone is supposed to be. In actuality, pitches at that height have been called a ball 90% of the time for 20+ years. In that situation, against a division foe, I would have thrown a tantrum too. As a hitter, you're groomed to take that pitch unless you're specifically looking to turn on it. Was it a bad call? No. Was it unjust? Yeah, probably.

If you were groomed to take a borderline call with two strikes against you then you were poorly coached.

Punto is only 5'9", so I think the square of the K-zone is off to begin with, but regardless, that pitch was at the minimum 3-4 inches higher than what would normally be called a strike on him. At least 75% (I'd contend closer to 90%) of players in the major/minor leagues wouldn't have swung at that pitch, but also partly because of the tail that Rodney gets on it. If 75% of the hitters are poorly coached, I guess we have a coaching issue in this country. Hitters know they have to protect against low pitches, and pitches up to an inch or two off the plate, but have never had to protect against high pitches.

You are making up percentages to reinforce you view now? That pitch was at the letters. That is a 50/50 pitch and should not be left to the umpire to decide. I also believe that the k-zone is adjusted for the height and stance of the batter. The pitch was nowhere close to "3-4 inches higher than would normally be called on him."

I was giving it credit for being below the letters. If you're going to tell me it was at the letters, then I'll tell you that is about a 1 out of 100 strike. The belly button is about a 10 out of 100.

The decision to swing at a pitch at these velocities is a reflex. It happens way too quickly to be planned. You decide within a couple of feet of leaving he pitcher's hand as to whether or not you're going to swing. The high pitch is exponentially easier to judge than low, inside or outside pitches because your eyes are much closer to the top of the zone and plane the pitch is coming in on. It is easier to see a pitch, notice that it is high, and not swing at it. You're going to notice a lot faster and have a much higher rate of predicting whether or not a pitch will be high. Once you see that, unless you have told yourself you are basically going to swing at any pitch regardless of how close to the strike zone it is, you're not going to swing. There are a few free swingers that would have swung at that pitch, even with two strikes, but that number is insanely low. A pitch at the numbers has been high almost 100% of the time for the past 25 years. Do you or do you not agree?

 

[CurryStopstheRuns]

If you were groomed to take a borderline call with two strikes against you then you were poorly coached.

Punto is only 5'9", so I think the square of the K-zone is off to begin with, but regardless, that pitch was at the minimum 3-4 inches higher than what would normally be called a strike on him. At least 75% (I'd contend closer to 90%) of players in the major/minor leagues wouldn't have swung at that pitch, but also partly because of the tail that Rodney gets on it. If 75% of the hitters are poorly coached, I guess we have a coaching issue in this country. Hitters know they have to protect against low pitches, and pitches up to an inch or two off the plate, but have never had to protect against high pitches.

You are making up percentages to reinforce you view now? That pitch was at the letters. That is a 50/50 pitch and should not be left to the umpire to decide. I also believe that the k-zone is adjusted for the height and stance of the batter. The pitch was nowhere close to "3-4 inches higher than would normally be called on him."

I was giving it credit for being below the letters. If you're going to tell me it was at the letters, then I'll tell you that is about a 1 out of 100 strike. The belly button is about a 10 out of 100.

Do you or do you not agree?

I do not agree with any of the things that you just said. A pitch at the belt/belly button is only a strike 10% of the time now? I do not know what game you are used to watching, but it is not baseball. Letter high pitches are strikes as well.

 

[Uncle Si]

Borderline(to bad) call to end a tense game. Sure as hell hope our players show some fight if the roles reversed

That said...f--- the A's

Oh bullshit! coaches tell their players don't get caught with the bat on your shoulder on a 3-2 count in a critical situation. Now a days these players think if they stand and look pitiful they can get a close call. This guy did it once to often.

That's exactly what that idiot did. I saw the replay on the news and thought it was a pretty good call considering you can't get a true vision of the strike zone from the centerfield camera that is off center a bit to keep the pitchers head out of the way.

long reply to this nonsense and then I realized I just dont care about it, the A's, Nick Punto or your thoughts on it.

 

[Scottemojo]

Punto tries to go into a crouch to make himself look even shorter.

 

[MidwestHawker]

I'm willing to embrace it as a bad call, because I think that's funny when it happens to the A's. Screw them. It's not like they didn't benefit from some bad home plate umpiring against us as well...

 

[CrimsonWazzu]

Punto tries to go into a crouch to make himself look even shorter.

Exactly. It's a tactic that shorter hitters use when they've been coached well on how to draw walks. The A's are notoriously good for working counts and getting on base however they can. I don't blame him for it, and I get exactly what he was trying to do there. Anything up in the zone they squeeze down in their stance while the ball travels.

The reaction was hilarious, and the fan overreaction to the reaction is kind of dumb. It's just part of the game. It was a close call, he tried to steal a walk and 90% of the time he gets the ump to cave on that pitch because of the situation, even though it was a strike.

 

[mbtitleist]

100% of pitchers want that called a strike.
100% of batters want that called a ball
If that were to happen to the Mariners I wouldn't have been too happy.
Since it was in favor of the Mariners I was happy.