slowpitch location of strikezone

Question
QUESTION: I ump in a rec ASA league in CT. I Once I determine that the it is a legal pitch I call strike where it crosses plate and not where it lands. I have batters sometimes showing me where ball landed, (inches of the plate). Yet I sometimes see other umpires calling this same pitch a Ball. Am I missing something here or is it truly a Ball? I can see the plate get blacked out as ball travels over it but happens to land outside or inside.

ANSWER: Hi Harvey,

players do that all the time but unless the pitch hits the plate it is never where the ball lands.  All that it needs to do is catch a part of the plate, otherwise you would never have a corner being able to be a strike.

STRIKE ZONE: That space over any part of home plate, when a batter assumes a
natural batting stance adjacent to home plate, between the batter抯,

B. (Slow Pitch) Back shoulder and the front knee.

Mark


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much. I really wanted to confirm your answer, as that is what I thought it was..
On another note; In men's ASA slowpitch, What would you say is the best indicator to use to determine the legality of the pitch height at high point and low point? For low point, I use the pitcher's head, if I don't see space between his head and the arc, then I determine it to be too low,(illegal).But Height is a little harder to factor. Can you help me out?

Answer
Hi Harvey,

height is harder but at 10' now i think it's easier than it was.  Experience will help that's about the best i can tell you.  10' appears lower than most think.  Take a 6' pitcher and add visually add 4' or about 2/3s of the pitcher to the top of the arc.  You'll get the hang if it.

For the low side it's been proven time and again that from 50' a pitch released at moderate speed has to touch 6' in it's arc in order to reach hp.  So speed of the pitch is the key, an IP for too low has more than a moderate amount of speed if it reached hp.  Again, you'll get it.

Mark