Help with pitching to small strike zone

[mike s]

Need advice regarding what to do when umpire has a down the middle strike zone. My thoughts are to change eye level up and down in blue's zone, lots of changing speed; FB, off-speed, change-up and changing timing on delivery. What I mean by changing timing on delivery is Hal's varying how long the ball is held in the glove and also "quick-pitching" or just touching the ball to outside of the glove then no back swing and aquick one step pitch. How have other pitchers handled having to pitch meatballs right down the middle.

Would like to hear what others have done to succeed despite the zone being squeezed.

 

[marriard]

I hate dealing with this - Screwball has it right for the pitcher - got to try and get ahead and try and expand the zone slowly.... I also have my catcher start asking regularly 'where did that miss?' and also to do a bit more framing. I also find most 'down the middle' umps are more likely to expand the zone up or away than they are to expand low or in so we'll try to work with that first.

I have pulled pitchers in younger age groups when it is clear that the strike zone is being squeezed and they are going to have to throw pitches that batters can tee off on to get a strike called. Sometimes a new look from a new pitcher changes the zone. My DD loves to pitch around the knees and if she can't get that pitch called she used to struggle - she now tries to work around it but it can still be brutal (especially if the other pitcher gets a few calls she didn't get). She has been close to being thrown out a couple of times and probably should have been once when she turned to one umpire after striking out and said "Why can't I get that call?"

It can be brutal in younger age groups where some of the smaller players don't have much of a strike zone to begin with.

 

[mike s]

Thanks Screwball and marriard shared your comments with DD. What both of you said made a lot of sense to her. Forgot to mention this is for 16U and Varsity.

 

[starsnuffer]

Keep the ball in the bottom of his zone and let your team work on defense. Do you think every perfect game was pitched with an umpire that had a huge or normal zone? Good pitchers get outs, not strike-outs.

-W

 

[SoCalSoftballdad]

Remember if the ump has a consistent strike zone, the opposing pitcher will also be faced with a tight strike zone and will have to adjust her pitches and locations accordingly. All things being equal, the pitcher that can adjust more quickly and without it getting it in her head, the more successful she will be that game. By the way, I never have a problem with an umpire's strike zone as long as they are consistent with it.

 

[ScottBev]

If you're not getting inside pitches called look at your catcher. If she is setting up her body on the edge of plate or even further inside, then she is moving the umpire behind the batter. Have her setting up her body slightly closer to down the middle. Glove should still be inside.

No, the catcher shouldn't have to adjust, but realistically you are severely messing with the umpire's perception. I just ump'd a game with a catcher that did this. If I bracketed properly I could barely see the pitcher, that's how far inside the catcher took it. Looking back now, I pretty sure that I over-corrected for my perception of where the pitch came into. Thereby costing the pitcher several potential strikes. BUT- As an ump my calls are still perfect!

 

[Indiana]

Good advice on mechanics. As a parent, I do my best not to let DD engage me in complaints about an umpire. I'll make sympathetic noises, then tell her to toughen up and figure out what the umpire wants. She did pitch a game a few weeks back where the umpire seemed to want it right down the middle; even her pitching coach commented. Her pitching coach has always told DD never to groove it belt high down the middle, no matter what. DD ended up giving up 4 runs in that game, two of them on bases loaded walks. Better one run on a walk than 4 on a grand slam.

 

[Greenmonsters]

Although the umpire might have a tight strike zone, the opposing hitters might not. I've seen many a team lose because they weren't selective at the plate, swung at anything hittable, and didn't force the opposing P to pitch to the umpire's strike zone while the other team made the adjustment and waited until the pitcher was forced to come in with a pitch that they could hammer. Again, why would you want to throw the ball over the plate if you don't have to!

 

[CoachFP]

Screwball, you really said "consider the 3-2 batter already lost"? I don't ever want to put that kind of idea in anyone's head regardless of what the umpire is doing.

 

[Woody611]

I like what ScottBev pointed out in regards to the catcher. We will have to pay closer attention to how she's setting up on the inside pitches.
We're dealing with tight strike zones at the varsity level and it's difficult. Any suggestions are appreciated. My daughter has all 6 pitches but when the ump squeezes her to belt high over the middle, batters know to wait for it. This puts the pitcher in a vulnerable position (getting hit right back at her and carted off in ambulance) and our JV pitcher got hit in the hand because of it. My daughter has great control, puts the ball where she intends better than 85% of the time and she works on edging the zone out a bit. But occasionally you get the ump that just won't budge. I think the only thing that can help any pitcher in that scenario is to have amazing spin with a wicked break so that after the batter commits, the ball falls out of the zone. If the batter doesn't swing, it will typically get called a ball because of where it's caught. I have found that happens with the umps that have the belt high zone, they call where it's caught not where it crosses the plate. We only run into a couple per season, but it's frustrating non the less. Our ump last night would not budge. That can be dangerous and it really does not teach the batter anything. Pitches like that in college are accidents.
My daughter still felt great about her pitching. The hits that brought in the winning runs, she and her coach knew those batters had already struck out. In all her other games, she's racking up double digit K counts which helps us muster through the less than desirable situations. Or at least I like to think it does. I guess if it did I wouldn't be posting!
I laughed when I read the comment about the pitcher that asked the ump why she didn't get that call! Too funny!