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Conformity and confusion
Posted: Wednesday April 12, 2000 12:25 AM
I think ending the practice of split umpire crews is long overdue. Baseball needs to have one strike zone for games in both leagues. What some fans may not realize is that the strike zone isn't the only thing umpires will have to work on. On Sunday, Preston Wilson hit what looked like a home run in the Marlins-Rockies game. It was really a foul ball, but umprie John Shulock called it fair. Shulock is an American League guy and this was his first series in Pro Player stadium. Andy Pettitte is a master of the pickofff and he's been called for just one balk since 1997. But here's longtime NL ump Ed Montague calling a balk on Pettitte in last Friday's Yankees-Mariners game. Clearly, Montague was unfamiliar with Pettitte's move. Bottom line, the umpries need to work harder at being more consistent as they adjust to new players and new parks.
Survival of the fittestIt's sad to watch the state of pitching in baseball. A single-day record 57 home runs were hit during 15 games last Friday. The old record was 55 in 17 games, AND in August -- the hottest part of the year. So with a new record in cool April weather, you have to figure the big boppers are just getting started. A big reason for the home run climate is pitchers who just can't throw strikes. Getting ahead in the count is crucical to a pitchers success. Just ask Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson. These two have thrown strikes on 62 percent of their pitches this season, and look what it has gotten them. By getting ahead of hitters, they've allowed just four walks while racking up 46 strikeouts. The results? Four wins and just three earned runs allowed. No surprise, though, these two are 27-4 in the first month of the season since 1995. That's baseball as I know it. Pitchers who can dominate by getting ahead of the hitters. I think it's great to see guys like Johnson and Martinez balance out the home run barage. In St. Louis, I'm Ozzie Smith.
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