Below is visual proof that the distance from the center of home plate to the catcher's glove creates the mistaken belief pitches were called strikes that were actually balls. The downard distance a pitch drops when traveling from the center of the plate to the catchers mitt has caused many to claim umpires were making incorrect balls and strikes calls, when the calls were actually correct.
If the pitch in the image below is barely a strike in the middle of the plate, and is clearly dropping and the rate of drop will exponentially increase over the final 2 feet to the catcher's glove, then this particular pitch will clearly look like the pitch was at least 2 to 3 inches lower than the strike zone by the time the pitch enters the catcher's glove.
The images that condemn an umpires call prior to ABS were always based on the location of the ball as it entered the catcher's glove. Clearly the ball strike reputation of MLB Umpires was harmed by an innacurate centerfield camera view that in telephoto mode would compress the final 2 feet and mislead those who were claiming low pitches were being incorrectly called strikes.
Major League Baseball should publicly apologize to the MLB Umpires Union and ESPN should be covering this story.
For those who felt the 2026 WBC championship game ended on an incorrect call, they would be mistaken, as the pitch crossed the player's leg as a very low strike, with the pitch then dropping a remarkable amount before entering the catcher's glove.
Los Angeles Emmy winning Producer Alessandro Machi combines his editing, camera, math, and real time action observational skills to provide unique insights into the World of Sports.
