A couple of weeks ago, I watched a baseball game on TV. In a game, some of a pitcher’s pitches, which were out of the strike zone, were called strikes. After watching the game and seeing several called strikes that were out of the zone, I began to think about some questions.
Well, an automated ball-strike system has been discussed frequently these years. But what I think is if there are some pitchers’ pitches which are out of the strike zone but are called strike, frequently.
To understand a little bit more, I decided to check on the statcast website.
Logan Webb has been an important starter for the Giants for several seasons. Webb made 20 starts before the All-Star break. He posted a 3.47 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP over 124.1 innings. Before the All-Star break, there were 72 times that his pitches were out of the zone but were called strikes. Back in 2023, Webb’s 106 pitches were actually out of the zone, however, the umpires called those pitches “strike”. He made 33 starts last season.
In January, Marcus Stroman and the Yankees agreed to a 2-year deal. In the first half of the 2024 season, Stroman posted a 3.51 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP over 105 innings. Stroman doesn’t throw hard and none of his pitches reaches 95 mph this season. Hence, command is extremely important for him. And interestingly, before the All-Star break, more than 70 Stroman’s pitches, which were out of the strike zone, were called strikes. Back in 2023, Strome threw 136.2 innings and 58 of his pitches that were out of the zone were called strikes.
Now, let’s take a look at another Logan. Logan Allen made 18 starts for the Guardians in the first half of this season. He now owns a 5.67 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP over 87.1 innings. Allen’s numbers don’t look impressive. And he was optioned to the minors. Before the All-Star break, more than 60 of his pitches that were out of the strike zone were called strikes. Allen made 24 starts and threw 125.1 innings in 2023. Last year, there were 47 times that his pitches were out of the strike zone but were called strikes.
Finally, Aaron Civale was just traded to the Brewers in early July. Civale made 19 starts in the first half of the 2024 season. Before the Mid-Summer Classic, 65 of his pitches were out of the zone, but were called strikes. Moreover, 57 of Ben Lively’s pitches that were out of the strike zone were called strikes before the All-Star break. Meanwhile, before the All-Star break, there were 55 times that Erick Fedde’s pitches were called strikes but those pitches were actually out of the zone.
Throwing pitches in the strike zone is important for pitchers. However, they don’t have to do it all the time. Additionally, pitchers have to avoid throwing pitches in the heart of the strike zone too often. Hence, throwing pitches in the border of the strike zone is also important. And some pitchers can locate their pitches very well. And some pitchers actually got “good results” even when pitches are out of the strike zone. Back in 2023, 100+ Webb’s pitches were out of the strike zone, but those pitches were called strikes. Before the All-Star break, Logan Webb and Marcus Stroman each had 70+ pitches that were out of zone but were called strikes. In the second half of the season, we can keep watching if they can continue locating pitches well and get “good results”.
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