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PolarVortex
Better/Best
Maybe it's my imagination, but it seems like our pitchers our getting squeezed by the homeplate umpire alot more this year than in previous years.
I would say that in general the home plate umpiring has been horrid this year! Felix has been overly frustrated on more than one occurrence, and obviously tossed which never happens. Combine bad calls at the plate with Brad "The Momentum Killer" Miller, and you could probably add a couple of wins that were losses. Then again, that's the game; no crying in baseball. I would like to see the human error removed from the home plate, but fine with having the ump there. Use computer technology to determine the balls and strikes while communicating with the ump via ear bud. At least it would be consistent.
Can't say, as I DVR the games and then watch mainly just the Mariner's at bats (Got irritated a while back when a lot of runs were given up and just haven't watched the pitching/defense since). Last night's game though seemed to have plenty of balls off the outside corner to left-handers called for strikes. On more than a few occasions I couldn't believe it was called a strike, and that is a trend I have been seeing for the last couple weeks (or more). The umpires' strike zones this season have been a little less than consistent (I believe Franklin saw four pitches in nearly the exact same location off the outside corner and though he hadn't swung the count was 2-2). I don't mind if it goes both ways, but be a little more accurate.
I bet we notice it more, because of course we are fans of the Mariners and since we lose so many close games every strike or non strike stands out a lot more
I'm sure umps are as wildly inconsistent with other teams as they are with us. A couple games ago I saw a pitch well outside (according to the EQC tracer) called a strike. Then a pitch similar to that one but actually closer to the plate that was called a ball...by the same ump.