The umps on variable are dreadful

[Mitchrapp]

Quote: Originally Posted by NDAlum

Not only this but it needs to be lowered more on specific pitches like curve balls. "I'm gonna try and sneak this curveball chest high and outside" - Said no pitcher ever

The rule, strike zone from the knee to top of the chest. Not sure if it's that way in the rule book anymore..but real umps won't call the high strike but here they do..with much more frequency.

As far as the top lowered, possibly, but then the chest high fastball becomes "in the wheelhouse"

Unless you mean just make the box bigger which is only beneficial to the pitcher.
1968 all over again..

[Pezell04x]

Quote: Originally Posted by HimynameisMattyK

I've thrown pitches that caught a pretty good part of the plate and the umpire will consistently call it a ball. I Know it's supposed to bring realism to the game but it's a little ridiculous when the pitch is blatantly a strike and the ump is pretty much squeezing you. Has anyone else noticed this? Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk

There are times I paint the corner with 2 strikes and, like watching a real game, say to my TV "COME ON IT WAS RIGHT THERE!" and there's times where I easily miss the corner and get the call. It is really frustrating when you hit it though and it is a ball.

I like it though - adds some depth and strategy.

[ShaBoomer]

Quote: Originally Posted by Pezell04x

There are times I paint the corner with 2 strikes and, like watching a real game, say to my TV "COME ON IT WAS RIGHT THERE!" and there's times where I easily miss the corner and get the call. It is really frustrating when you hit it though and it is a ball. I like it though - adds some depth and strategy.

Exactly! Nobody complains when an incorrect call goes in their favour.

[xKaoTicxLegEndx]

First of all, I want to say that I love the realism by the umps in this game. I couldn't play this game if the ump settings weren't on variable. Like most have stated, I've been saved and burned equally. Here's one of the many instances in which my jaw dropped:

Want to talk about frustrating? Throw 8.2 perfect innings, and then get ahead of the last (27th) hitter 1-2, intentionally miss with the next pitch seeing if the hitter would chase making the count 2-2, then paint the outside corner for two straight pitches only to have both of them be called balls.

I muttered to myself "Jim Joyce does it again" .. haha.

[Jr.]

Quote: Originally Posted by Mitchrapp

The rule, strike zone from the knee to top of the chest. Not sure if it's that way in the rule book anymore..but real umps won't call the high strike but here they do..with much more frequency. As far as the top lowered, possibly, but then the chest high fastball becomes "in the wheelhouse" Unless you mean just make the box bigger which is only beneficial to the pitcher. 1968 all over again..

I don't understand how lowering the top of the zone makes the chest high pitch in the wheelhouse.

[Mitchrapp]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jr.

I don't understand how lowering the top of the zone makes the chest high pitch in the wheelhouse.

I first thought that it meant he wanted the strikezone to be smaller, i.e.. high pitches would now be balls and low pitches to be strikes..making the high chest pitch useless..ergo I would have to throw the fastball lower, wheelhouse. Then I realized I might of misinterpreted so I added the last sentence. Either way I believe the strike zone is perfect..

[Jr.]

Quote: Originally Posted by Mitchrapp

I first thought that it meant he wanted the strikezone to be smaller, i.e.. high pitches would now be balls and low pitches to be strikes..making the high chest pitch useless..ergo I would have to throw the fastball lower, wheelhouse. Then I realized I might of misinterpreted so I added the last sentence. Either way I believe the strike zone is perfect..

Ah, I gotcha. I agree that the top of the strike zone is a bit high. I believe the (unwritten) rule is the hollow of the knee to the naval (about 2 baseballs above the belt). My biggest pet peeve is the interpretation of the corners though. If the pitch catches any part of the plate (no matter how small) it's a strike. I understand these calls are missed, but I see them called balls much more frequently than called strikes, and I would like to see pitches that completely miss the corner by a couple of inches called strikes more often.

The trade off is that you need to be able to hit those pitches hard, which the game doesn't really allow. I'm of the thought that how the strike zone as a whole (how balls and strikes are called, and the quality of contact that can be made on borderline pitches) needs to be re-hauled.

[bwiggy33]

What I've noticed this year is that where I'm squeezed is the left side of the plate (when the camera view is from the pitchers mound). I've been well inside the strike zone on that part of the plate and continuously get called balls on those pitches. This happens a ton during each game I've played. Sometimes I get a little bit more on the right side but that just seems random at best like many others are saying. I'm basically forced to pitch mainly on the right side of the plate because of how many times I throw strikes on the left side only to get them called a ball. I've always had Variable on but this is the first year that I am truly ready to turn it off. It's just so inconsistent and even though it's said each umpire has their own zone, I don't think they do or it's just not working properly. Honestly the last year I think variable has actually had each umpire having their own zone was in MLB 10. From MLB 11 on it has seemed off.