3 pitching questions

Question
1)  If the ball hits the black strip on home plate, is it considered a ball or a strike.

2)  Last year when pitching, the umpire called "too close to the plate" which confused me as I'd never heard that call before.  What exactly would that mean?  My guess is he didn't know what to call it, so he randomly said that.
3)  It seems to me, my teammates and other teams we played as well, that that umpires have often called my strike zone tighter than the other teams are being called,usually.  Does this mean that they are not my pitching is at a different level than the other teams, or that they are trying to give the other teams players a some kind of leniency by allowing the other teams a wider range strike zone or different arc ranges?  It makes me not want to do my best, but question their calls.


Answer
Hello Patty,

The rules are the same for all pitchers.  Any ball which hits any part of the plate is considered a ball not a strike.  The pitch must have at least a three foot arc from the release point before crossing home plate.  Some sanctioning bodies state that the ball must not go above 10 feet off the ground and some put a 6 foot arc limit from the release point.  The ball must pass below the highest shoulder and above the knee while going over the plate.  A good umpire will not let where the batter stands in the box determine his strike zone.  What I mean by this is if a girl stands in the back of the box, the strike zone is still defined where the ball would pass the batter if she was right beside the plate.  Obviously your strike zone is going to vary depending on the height of the batter.  Continue to pitch your best game and maintain a positive attitude I don't think any umpires are trying to use different rules for you than the other pitchers, there are just a few umpires that don't seem to do as good of job at interpreting the strike zone as others.  Please let me know if I can help with anything else

Coach Mike