Ball Four - Today's Tiny Strike Zone

Unable to locate the remote control at the conclusion of yesterday's victory over the Diamondbacks, I was treated to a quick interview session with Bobby Cox after the game. I was quickly struck with how exhausted he seemed after the game. He seems so calm throughout, just sitting there taking it all in. It is easy to forget how much the manager lives and dies with each sequence during the game.

The main topic of Cox's post-game thoughts was the game's strike zone. This is the elephant in the room right now for Major League Baseball. The games are too long, pitchers are throwing too many pitches and ruining their arms, and the hitters are allowed to take strikes with the knowledge that even behind in the count they will get something to hit.

The source of Cox's anger yesterday was a borderline strike to Eric Byrnes that would have ended the inning and given Jair Jurrjens a victory. Byrnes, who looks lost at the plate right now despite a couple of homers in the series, was clearly fooled by the inside pitch and should have been rung up. Instead, the Braves' rookie had to throw a better pitch that was laced for a hit. His day was over after 97 squeezed pitches.

Why has the strike zone gotten so small? On paper, the zone is supposed to be from the letters to the knees, but in actuality it is called from the waist to the top of the knees. You never see a high strike called anymore.

The problems with such a tight zone are many. The New York Yankees began a strategy that has been mirrored throughout the league of taking pitches to get into an opponent's bullpen. With strike zones so small, this strategy works well against any pitcher, even ones with good control. It forces the pitcher to sweeten up his pitches just to get ahead in the count which leads to big offensive innings. The alternative is to keep after the corners and run up a big pitch count while falling behind hitters.

The tight zone also lengthens the game. If every batter is getting 2-2, 3-2 counts, the time of the game quickly balloons to three, maybe four hours long. I love watching baseball, but not four hours of it.

What about the pitchers' arms? The list of arm and elbow problems among elite pitchers is so long I don't know where to start. It is known that the overhand pitch in an unnatural motion that tears up a man's shoulder and elbow, but don't you think there is also a connection between the sheer number of pitches thrown and the damage done? It takes 15-20 pitches to get out of an inning these days - and that is a good inning! Complete games are as rare as triple plays not because of the new closer strategy, but because the human arm cannot throw as many pitches as today's tight zone demands.

Why not expand the zone? The quick answer is that it would favor the pitcher too much and produce a bunch of 1-0 games. Ladies love the longball, right? People want to see homeruns and power at the plate. The game would be less exciting.

Here is why that is lousy logic: the current zone leads to bat-on-the-shoulder patience that is not exciting at all. The MLB once had wider strike zones that meant batters went to the plate ready to swing the bat. Isn't that better than today's game where batters go to the plate ready to take until the first strike?

Bobby Cox was right on the money yesterday with his critique of game right now in regards to the calling of balls and strikes. Widen that zone and we get a much better brand of baseball.