Posted by: BHL () on Sat May 27 16:21:12 2006

Since apparantally you are a "scholar" and not a ball player, let me explain some baseball lingo to you.

During a baseball game, an official home plate is 17 inches wide. I'm sure you know that from your books. Now, what probably isnt defined in your encyclopedia, is a term that baseball players refer to as "the black". The black is an imaginery area roughly 3-6 inches wide on the inside and outside of the plate that an umpire will call for a strike. Obviously, there is no set definition for "the black", so its size will vary from umpire to umpire. Now, let me make this point clear. Pitches on the black are nearly unhittable. They might be called strikes in a game, but they are not good pitches to hit. Ted Williams hit less than .200 on pitches located on the black. If a pitcher could hit this spot every time, there would be no baseball. period.

Now, Major league hitters are the best in the game, and even they have trouble defending both sides of the plate (from black to black) at the same time. Before two strikes, "professional" hitters will look for a pitch in their zone, either inside or outside, but not both.

Thats why its so tough to hit w/ two strikes. You have to try to guard the entire plate. You can verify that by opening your book at looking at players' batting averages w/ 2 strikes and before 2 strikes.

If you "stand right on the plate" as you say, the pitch on the outside black would NOT be like an inside pitch, but rather like a pitch middle-out. Yes, that would make the outside pitch easier to handle, but its still a give and take situation. If you did in fact hit like that, pitches on the inner half of the plate would now be like pitches on the inside black, and pitches on the inside black would now be unhittable.

Leave your protractor in your pocket. Hitting is not purely science. It is a combination of science, art, and luck.