Still unfamiliar. The so-called “opposite pitch” is ruled as a strike. The batter sighs despondently, and the catcher who receives the ball smiles awkwardly. The ratio of strikes, which was particularly high at the ball count 3-0, has also decreased. The ratio of balls, which was high at the ball count of 0-2, has also decreased. Everyone fights in the same square strike zone. Finally, a fair and identical strike zone has been formed.
The problem is consistency. Consistency is fine during a game. However, different stadiums have question marks over consistency. Rumors have it that the ABS of Jamsil Stadium is wider on the left and right than other stadiums. For this reason, pitchers who take the mound in Jamsil place more weight on the outside. When a ball that a batter thinks is missing is ruled as a strike, the flow of the game fluctuates greatly.
This was the case in the Jamsil game between LG and KT on the 7th. If LG scores, a strike came out to mark the end of the eighth inning with KT chasing. Kim Yoo-young, who pitched in the top of the eighth inning with no outs and runners on the first and second bases, threw a fastball outside the third pitch against KT’s Chun Sung-ho, and was ruled a strike.
A notable part is the ABS strike zone taken on the broadcast screen at this moment. On the screen, it was hung in the lower right corner of the square zone. The left and right widths of the strike zone and the home plate displayed on the screen are the same. This is what fans can be confused about.
KBO announced that the ABS strike zone will be applied by increasing both sides of the home plate by 2cm. It seems to have been omitted from the broadcast screen. The tablet placed in the dugout was different. The strike zone on the tablet was applied by increasing both sides of the home plate by 2cm. This means that the strike zone viewed by the field and the fan is different. Question marks over the ABS decision may increase.
When asked if the ABS zone displayed on the broadcast screen is the same as the zone that is actually recognized, a KBO official said, “The zone is applied with a 2cm increase in left and right angles. However, the home plate was added for visual convenience, and this seems to cause confusion. The home plate drawing can be deleted in the future.”
Asked if the difference in height has been applied as well, he replied, “It has been applied. When a player with a shorter height and a larger height take the batter’s box, the square size is the same. However, the difference in height has been applied to where the ball is taken.”
The interpretation is as follows. The square that Kim Ji-chan, who is 163 cm tall, and Lee Jae-won, who is 192 cm tall, can see is the same. However, the ABS zone displayed on the relay screen is displayed by calculating the size of the upper and lower parts of the strike zone that have changed according to the height difference between Kim Ji-chan and Lee Jae-won.
The conclusion comes naturally. In order for the judgment to gain complete trust, the size of the zone, which has changed according to the height difference, must also be displayed on the relay screen. Kim Ji-chan and Lee Jae-won, whose height difference is close to 30 cm, reflecting in the same square only shows the result value.
In other words, it is necessary to disclose the process. In the case of a ball or strike that is suspicious of a decision, the ABS must show a simulation scene from the process to the result. Major League Baseball (ML) has not used ABS for judgment since 2015, but has been using it for simulation and power analysis. In addition, in the ESPN broadcast, the strike zone is implemented as a three-dimensional pillar to simulate specific ball and strike decisions. Displaying a simulation screen judged in three dimensions is more convincing than in two dimensions.
This is where the club has questions about ABS. There is also an area of judgment to be seen in the tracking data collected by each club. Club tracking data and ABS are often measured differently. Ball judgment matches on certain stadiums, but there is a big difference on other stadiums. This is the case even if you zoom in 2cm from left to right.
“It seems certain that ABS is different from stadium to stadium. I think it’s different from the exhibition game,” said a head coach of a Seoul metropolitan team.
BY: 안전놀이터
