Cheerfully concede that Lackey faced a tight zone, though my count for him was significantly different than for Doogie, and Boston's relievers didn't get a single strike call blown against them by my count.
Didn't check Seattle's relievers.
Apparently the ump was in the mood to prevent nibbling, at which Doogie is more "ump-dangerous" than Lackey is. ..., though after the day's starters were out, the ump started simply calling strikes and balls.
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1. An ump who forces a pitcher to actually hit the OFFICIAL RULEBOOK ZONE for 100% of strike calls is known as a "hitter's ump" and there are probably five of them in the league. His ump-ERA is going to be sky high.
Hardball Times has demonstrated that the called zone is considerably wider than the rulebook. Umps don't require pitchers to throw the ball directly over the plate; every game would be 3.5 hours with 15-20 runs. :- )
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2. All of the 11 that we both see actually did hit the zone -- most of them had all kinds of plate -- simply blown calls.
3. I count another 5-6 "balls" that were within ONE BASEBALL'S width of the rulebook strike zone -- and easily within the real strike zone.
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4. I see 4 red dots that aren't touching the strike zone -- and they are all hair's margins off the zone. Even the hitters wouldn't call those "blown strike calls" given back.
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If you take the strike zone as "a pitch that just nips the rulebook zone, or within one or two inches," the count is actually 16-0 against Fister.
Debates aside, that was one whale of a hitter's strike zone Doogie was facing :- )
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