Ball & Strike Challenges

[The Needler]

I'm sure there are some air traffic control images where the radar or computers or some other part of the system are in error, but it's better than having some people standing at runways deciding which planes should land when. What pitchFX has right now has to be far better than Holbrook was last night. Baseball (sports?) is in the dark ages when it comes to using available technology. Yes, there are nuances like distinguishing Judge from Altuve, but that's pretty simple to work out without starting a whole Manhattan Project.

I think an interesting question is if MLB ultimately goes to automated balls and strikes, should they keep the shifting strike zone at all? The zone is the same width for every player; I'm not sure there's a sufficient justification for providing a handicap to shorter hitters on the height of the zone.

 

[joyofsox]

I was thinking during last night's game that if Holbrook's blown calls did not convince you that MLB needs an electronic strike zone ASAP, then maybe nothing ever would. Afterwards, I checked Brooks Baseball's PITCHf/x tool, expecting to find clear and convincing evidence of how badly Holbrook's calls favoured the Yankees.

That was not what I found. I looked at every plate appearance in the game and applied a super-strict reading of the strike zone (even if the pitch was two hairs outside the zone - and thus could reasonably be called either way in a live setting - I deemed it a ball).

Chris Sale: 6 blown calls (4 favoured the Yankees, 2 favoured the Red Sox)
Boston bullpen: 6 blown calls (4 favoured the Yankees, 2 favoured the Red Sox)

Luis Severino: 3 blown calls (2 favoured the Red Sox, 1 favoured the Yankees)
New York bullpen: 3 blown calls (3 favoured the Red Sox)

Boston pitchers: 12 blown calls (8 favoured the Yankees, 4 favoured the Red Sox)
New York pitchers: 6 blown calls (1 favoured the Yankees, 5 favoured the Red Sox)

Game: 18 blown calls (9 favoured the Yankees, 9 favoured the Red Sox)

Note: While Holbrook's blown calls were split evenly, three of the five calls in the Red Sox's favour when they were at the plate came in the seventh and ninth inning, when the game was out of reach and the calls most likely did them little good. On the other hand, five of the six blown calls against Red Sox relievers came in the fateful sixth inning - and four of them favoured the Yankees. The first one came on Joe Kelly's 6th pitch to Matt Holliday. It should have been strike three, but it was called ball four - and that got the inning started on the wrong foot. Kelly then struck out Todd Frazier. If he had received credit for retiring the first two hitters, maybe he would have been able to finish a clean inning. And then who knows how the rest of the game would have gone?

I think that getting accurate calls on balls and strikes is more important than reviewing a stolen base attempt or a bang-bang play at first base. There are far more opportunities for the game's dynamic to change. And yet this is the one area that MLB absolutely wants to stay away from when it comes to challenges and video reviews.

 

[SydneySox]

I'd be more interested in finding a way to more concisely call checked-swings. Those things are always all over the place. In a thread where we're arguing about 1 or less than 1 per cent of strikes, there must be two or three dodgy-as-fuck checked-swing calls every game.

 

[Al Zarilla]

I'd be more interested in finding a way to more concisely call checked-swings. Those things are always all over the place. In a thread where we're arguing about 1 or less than 1 per cent of strikes, there must be two or three dodgy-as-fuck checked-swing calls every game.

So long as agreement is reached on what constitutes a swing. It's gone from (in my time anyway) to 'did he break his wrists' to 'did the bat cross the plate' to 'did he intend to swing'. The last one is the worst IMO, because you need a lie detector test or something to find out.

 

[SydneySox]

Yes, and the call is made by a guy 90 feet away. I love the shit out of baseball and the checked swing rule is a good example of why I have to just shrug and smile sometimes. You have to embrace a game that has such an obvious hole that no one ever talks about - we all just accept it and move on.

 

[rsmith7]

I was thinking during last night's game that if Holbrook's blown calls did not convince you that MLB needs an electronic strike zone ASAP, then maybe nothing ever would. Afterwards, I checked Brooks Baseball's PITCHf/x tool, expecting to find clear and convincing evidence of how badly Holbrook's calls favoured the Yankees.

That was not what I found. I looked at every plate appearance in the game and applied a super-strict reading of the strike zone (even if the pitch was two hairs outside the zone - and thus could reasonably be called either way in a live setting - I deemed it a ball).

Chris Sale: 6 blown calls (4 favoured the Yankees, 2 favoured the Red Sox)
Boston bullpen: 6 blown calls (4 favoured the Yankees, 2 favoured the Red Sox)

Luis Severino: 3 blown calls (2 favoured the Red Sox, 1 favoured the Yankees)
New York bullpen: 3 blown calls (3 favoured the Red Sox)

Boston pitchers: 12 blown calls (8 favoured the Yankees, 4 favoured the Red Sox)
New York pitchers: 6 blown calls (1 favoured the Yankees, 5 favoured the Red Sox)

Game: 18 blown calls (9 favoured the Yankees, 9 favoured the Red Sox)

Note: While Holbrook's blown calls were split evenly, three of the five calls in the Red Sox's favour when they were at the plate came in the seventh and ninth inning, when the game was out of reach and the calls most likely did them little good. On the other hand, five of the six blown calls against Red Sox relievers came in the fateful sixth inning - and four of them favoured the Yankees. The first one came on Joe Kelly's 6th pitch to Matt Holliday. It should have been strike three, but it was called ball four - and that got the inning started on the wrong foot. Kelly then struck out Todd Frazier. If he had received credit for retiring the first two hitters, maybe he would have been able to finish a clean inning. And then who knows how the rest of the game would have gone?

I think that getting accurate calls on balls and strikes is more important than reviewing a stolen base attempt or a bang-bang play at first base. There are far more opportunities for the game's dynamic to change. And yet this is the one area that MLB absolutely wants to stay away from when it comes to challenges and video reviews.

Out of how many pitches?