Why are umpires allowed to have their "own" strike zones?

I find in watching a lot of baseball that most umpires try to use the correct strike zone. But many times you will hear announcers remark that this umpire has a tight strike zone, this one an expanded strike zone, this one give outside pitches, this one likes low strikes, etc.

Another common observation by announcers is that they do not care so much about the strike zone as long as the umpire is consistent and calls strikes the same way for both teams. Why should we be okay with umps that regularly miss correct calls just because they miss it both ways?

I particularly do not care for the umpire that rewards a pitcher for "hitting his spot", something you frequently hear when a catcher sets up just off the plate and the pitcher makes a great pitch, right where he wanted, just outside the zone. How about rewarding the batter who has a great eye and chooses not to swing at a pitch just outside the strike zone that would likely result in a weak grounder?

I like the human element of umpiring and the mistakes they make are part of the game. There will always be close calls that could go either way.

What I do not like is whoever supervises the umpires to allow them to have reputations for a tight or loose strike zone. Umpires should be graded. If they are calling balls that miss the plate strikes consistently, they need to correct it or work first base. There should not be pitcher friendly or hitter friendly umps.

This is not to say an ump that misses a call here or there should be fired, we would not have human umps if that happened and complaining about close calls is part of the game. This is more directed at umps who intentionally expand or contract the strike zone.


I find many umpires more likely to give low strikes below the true zone than high strikes in the zone (Poche had a couple pitches high in the strike zone called balls). The zone first of all has to be over the plate. Then it has to be at the low zone the hollow of the knees and the upper zone midway between the top of the shoulders and the belt line, just under the armpits. Umps that create their own zones need doing other jobs.

(This post is not about the pitch that ended the LSU game last night. That was a close pitch I thought just missed the plate, but the only reason that call was a big deal was it happened on the last pitch. That pitch had been called a strike on both teams on and off during the game).