Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Discussions: 2011 World Series

As the 2011 World Series gets underway, we again open the umpire forum to discussion, below. Notes include home plate umpire performance according to pitch f/x and UEFL Rules 6.b.ii.a. (horizontal bound, "Kulpa Rule") and 6.b.ii.b. (vertical strike zone, "Miller Rule"). Normalized strike zone plots are displayed via the "pfx" link. Plays include significant plays or activities. WS = Texas Rangers at St. Louis Cardinals.

***End-of-Year Award distribution will begin Sunday***

- Final, TEX@STL, 7: Layne misses 17 pitches, 14 of which benefit St. Louis during the Series' only 90.0% game.
- Final, TEX@STL, 6: Cederstrom calls 94.3% during epic Rangers-Cardinals extra inning thriller.
- Final, STL@TEX, 5: Barrett calls Game 5 at 90.7% as the Texas portion of the series concludes.
- Final, STL@TEX, 4: After missing a call at first base the night before, Kulpa rebounds to call a 95.6%.
- Final, STL@TEX, 3: Marquez calls a massive 206 pitches, calling 92.2% during Cardinals rout of Rangers.
- Final, TEX@STL, 2: After calling 96.0% in the DS, Gibson has an impressive performance of 96.1% in the WS.
- Final, TEX@STL, 1: Layne starts off strong with a 94.9% performance; umpires miss 9th inning foul call.

Notes and Archives
TEX@STL, Gm1: HP Umpire Jerry Layne: pfx (34-37 Called Strikes, 97-101 Balls = 94.9%)
TEX@STL, Gm2: HP Umpire Greg Gibson: pfx (38-41 Called Strikes, 86-88 Balls = 96.1%)^
STL@TEX, Gm3: HP Umpire Alfonso Marquez: pfx (59-64 Called Strikes, 131-142 Balls = 92.2%)
STL@TEX, Gm4: HP Umpire Ron Kulpa: pfx (46-50 Called Strikes, 107-110 Balls = 95.6%)
STL@TEX, Gm5: HP Umpire Ted Barrett: pfx (42-52 Called Strikes, 95-99 Balls = 90.7%)
TEX@STL, Gm6: HP Umpire Gary Cederstrom: pfx (50-52 Called Strikes, 133-142 Balls = 94.3%)
TEX@STL, Gm7: HP Umpire Jerry Layne: pfx (53-61 Called Strikes, 100-109 Balls = 90.0%)

Plays
Game 1: Infrared: FOX Celebrates New Technology at Expense of Beltre, Rangers [b/r article]
- - Video: Beltre appears to foul ball off his foot in the ninth inning, umpires miss the call
Game 2: Kulpa correctly rules Kinsler safe on stolen base attempt, Molina expresses frustration
Game 3: Kulpa misses "obvious" out call during 1-0 game. Washington argues to no avail.
Game 3: Torre discusses missed call, blasts media for questioning St. Louis native-Kulpa's integrity
Game 6: Marquez delivers a correct out call at third base, after a Napoli-Beltre pickoff
Game 7: MLB Must Rewrite Home-Field Advantage Rule [b/r opinion]
Game 7: Umpire's Strike Zone is not to Blame for Rangers' World Series Loss [b/r article]

*Live accuracy is not available during reviews, challenges, or during suspiciously normalized contests.
'The UEFL reports all sub-90.0% accuracy games as "<90%"
^This plot includes one ball miscategorized as a called strike. The ball call was correct.