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Study: MLB umpires shift strike zone based on count

Original: ⚾ TIL: An analysis of more than 450,000 # MLB pitches from 2015 to 2024 found that # umpires call borderline pitches dif

An analysis of more than 450,000 MLB pitches from 2015 to 2024 found that umpires call borderline pitches differently depending on the count. The effective strike zone widens when a batter has three balls and shrinks with two strikes, an effect modeled by researchers from Hiroshima University. The findings add to long-running debate over umpire consistency and the push for automated strike calling.

Why now: The counterintuitive finding that umpire judgment systematically shifts with the count sparks debate over human error and automated strike zones.

MLBHiroshima UniversityMLB umpires

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Evidence

• ⚾ TIL: An analysis of more than 450,000 # MLB pitches from 2015 to 2024 found that # umpires call borderline pitches differently depending on the count, widening the effective strike zone at three balls and shrinking it at two strikes. Models from # Hiroshima University… · tksst@fediscience.org · 9

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