They could have started by putting a runner at first instead of second if they had to do it at all in extra innings, which they didn’t. That would have encouraged steals perhaps.
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I wasn’t watching the game, as I was watching basketball, but checking in on a Brewers board, they were flummoxed by the ump’s strike zone last night.
But Bull Duggleby is dead, so I’m not so sure this bodes well for Camarena.
I watched the game. Both broadcasts were talking about it. At least it seemed evenly applied to both teams.
Anything going away from juice ball should help.
I notice they do a lot of in-game betting lines these days. Can’t imagine they’d put one out when Washington is leading San Diego 8-0 in the 4th with Scherzer pitching, but would be interesting to know if they did.
Some umps just never really get a feel for the outside edge of the plate. It’s the hardest pitch to call, and the area with the most inconsistency. Umpiring nittery below, skip if too boring:
Back in the day (I think 60s thru 80s) the NL strike zone was always higher and tighter and the AL strike zone lower and wider. This was because of how the various leagues trained their umps to position behind the catcher. NL umps lined up directly behind the plate, so they had an equal view of both edges. But being this high up made the low zone hard to see and had the effect of moving the zone up. The AL trained their umps to line up “in the slot” between the catcher and batter. It makes the height of the zone much easier to judge, as well as the inside edge, but the outside pitch pretty hard to see. I’ve had umps tell me “I don’t need to see the outside edge, I just know where it is”. Well judging by some of the shit we’re seeing called, no you don’t. The slot is the standard way all MLB umpires are taught now. Even with all the training, selection, and technology available to MLB, the umps still consistently struggle with calling the outside pitch correctly. It also makes me wonder if the decision to have umps start lining up in the slot instead of over the plate was the right decision. Oh well, bring on the robots. This article explains it pretty well, especially the sections about the slot and the box (giggity): Working the Plate - UmpireBible
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Yep, it’s all the outside stuff he’s missing too. The guy has been ump for 30 years and has horrible form. He’s tracking the ball with his head, not his eyes. Watch his head after the ball is out. Terrible. It shouldn’t move.
Contrast that with John Libka, one of the best zones in the MLB. The dude is a rock while the ball is in the air. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8rAYIvIlHM
I think they’d need a rule change that increases the probability of a successful steal. Caught stealing is way more expensive if there are more homeruns, for sure. But I think even with fewer homers, steals are still a bad idea unless the probability of success is much higher than historical norms.
I hate that they call people out for like oversliding. I think if you hit the bag before you got tagged you should be safe
We have the designated hitter, why not the designated runner. You can sub in a guy once per inning as a runner and the player he replaces stays in the lineup. If you look at rule changes or just the general direction of other sports it’s always towards specialization. Rather than focusing on players who are well rounded in the game, get guys who do one thing but at an insanely elite level. People want to see freak athletes do freak athlete things like hit 500 ft dingers, throw 102MPH fastballs, or jump 5 feet in the air to rob home runs. Not watch guys who can barely walk try to stumble their way around the bases.
All of you who want to make it easier to steal realize this will slow the game way down, right?
I prefer not watching pitchers throwing over to 1st base 5+ times to hold the runner.
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You’d think after 30 years of spending half the year on the road travelling from city to city and gearing up to call pitches from behind the plate he’d have picked up a few skills. Like 1: where the strike zone is, and 2: how to tell a legit prostitute from a police sting.
Put a line a few feet ahead of the bag and ban pitchers from throwing to first if the runner is behind the line.
Ordered a Camarena jersey today! I can wear that when I’m not wearing my “The Niño” or Chris Paddack one 
Reds / Crew tonight is Youtube Game of the Week whatever that means. 7:30 PM EST
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