Sunday, August 28, 2011

Ejections: Bill Miller (2)

HP Umpire Bill Miller ejected Cubs Manager Mike Quade for arguing a called strike three call in top of the 1st inning of the Cubs-Brewers game. With two out and none on, Cubs batter Aramis Ramirez took a 3-2 curveball from Brewers pitcher Zack Greinke for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the heart of the plate, but below the hollow of Ramirez's knees, the call was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection, the contest was tied, 0-0. The Brewers ultimately won the contest, 3-2.

This is Bill Miller (26)'s second ejection of 2011.
Bill Miller now has -4 points in the Umpire Ejection Fantasy League (-2 Previous + 2 MLB + -4 Incorrect Call = -4).
Bill Miller is owned as a Primary Umpire by #1UmpFan, who is tied for 36th place in the UEFL with 0 points.
*This call is incorrect per the newly created Miller Rule (UEFL Rule 6.b.ii.b).
Rule 6.b.ii.b. Comment: The formula reads as follows: "sz_top + sz_bot / 2 = C... |C - pz| = D... norm_ht / D = R... 0.0833 * R = E... norm_ht + E = [Lower Bound, Upper Bound]. If this range of [Lower Bound, Upper Bound] is completely greater than |1.000|, then the correct call must be a ball. If this range of [Lower Bound, Upper Bound] at some point is less than or equal to |1.000|, then the correct call may be a strike.
This is the 172nd ejection of 2011.
This is the 83rd Manager ejection of 2011.
This is Mike Quade's sixth ejection of 2011, tying him for the most ejections among Managers, coaches and players with Ron Gardenhire.

Wrap: Cubs at Brewers Wrap 8/28/11
Video: Quade ejected after with word with Miller

Pitch f/x courtesy Brooks Baseball

11 comments :

Anonymous said...

Ejected after 1/2 inning. Typical Quade

Anonymous said...

Quade never fails to look like an idiot. he always thinks he can get away with arguing balls and strikes when he turns his back. watching at first glance i thought the pitched hit the hollow of the knee but i guess the pitch f/x says differently

OSheaman said...

Pretty bad strike three call but Quade just had to say something as he led Ramirez back to the dugout. Ugh.

Anonymous said...

Interesting... How DARE somebody question an umpire!
As we all know... They couldn't be wrong!

Anonymous said...

How close was this to being a strike with the Kulpa rule?

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know who sets the upper and lower levels of the strike zone for the pitch tracking system? Is there a person who actually determines where the hollow of the knee is? If so, who is it and what are this person's qualifications?

Jon Terry said...

Love Quade's little hit-and-run right there. Trust me, 8:06pm, that wasn't commentary or criticism. That was an insult.

And to the commentators: Brooks shows that pitch missing by, what, an inch? How on earth is that 'horrible'?

Lindsay said...

The Kulpa Rule is not applicable in this situation, as it only applies to the static horizontal boundaries of the strike zone (Rules 6.b.ii.a., 6.b.ii.b.: "This provision only applies to static borders of the strike zone (e.g.: its horizontal, as opposed to vertical, boundaries)").

Vertical consideration continues on the 2 foot (normalized) zone, with a corresponding normalized pz value of [1.500, 3.500] considered a strike. Perhaps it is high time we introduce a provision regarding the vertical boundaries of the strike zone.

With the horizontal bounds, we introduce a static margin of error (during normalization, the horizontal location doesn't change). When it comes to vertical boundaries, we could easily introduce a one inch margin of error (PFX) at 0.0833, which is one inch in feet. Instead of looking at a pitch f/x chart, however, we need to examine the numerical table and its variables/values.

Using the "sz_top" and "sz_bot" fields, which correspond to the real (not normalized) values for the strike zone's upper and lower boundaries, we see a "sz_bot" of 1.76 for this at bat. "pz" for this pitch is 1.405, and a unique variable called "norm_ht" is -1.425.

It is "norm_ht" that we're after. -1.425 corresponds to -1.425 normalized feet below the theoretical normalized center of the strike zone (which is 0.00). Our aggregate, non-normalized margin of error is 0.833. How do we normalize this? By finding the relationship between non-normalized "pz" and normalized "norm_ht." To do so, we need to establish "pz" in terms of "norm_ht," or in terms of "distance from the center of the strike zone. The center of the strike zone is the midpoint of "sz_top" and "sz_bot", or 2.595. Next, we subtract pz, or 1.405, from 2.595, to get 1.19 (-1.19 because it is below the center). Now we have the value from center we're looking for.

Next, we find the relationship between -1.19 (non-normalized) and -1.425 (normalized). Recall, margin of error 0.833 is a non-normalized value; we need a normalized margin of error for this at bat. 1.425 / 1.19 = 1.197 (this is our ratio). We now need to compute normalized margin of error using this ratio: 0.0833 * 1.197 = 0.0997. Normalized margin of error for this at bat is 0.0997.

Going back to "norm_ht," we have -1.425. Adding our normalized margin of error, we get a normalized height of -1.325. At its closest and accounting for margin of error, this pitch still missed the bottom of the strike zone, which normalized, lies at -1.000.

This formula may be used in the future to compute vertical QOC for called Balls/Strikes, and shall be known as the Miller Rule.

Lindsay said...

@Anonymous 1101, with Pitch f/x, you have a stringer-operator employed by MLB Advanced Media who identifies the lower of the two batter's hollows-of-the-knee. The operator then identifies the upper bound not by the midpoint, but by identifying the top of the uniform pants - shoulders, the computer calculates the midpoint. Stringers go through a series of interviews, rules and scoring quizzes, etc.

Here is a video of TB Stringers from 2007. Keep in mind, the video was produced before that particular park received the pitch f/x technology that is standard in all 30 parks today. Nowadays, pitch location is calculated via computer tracking.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the answer Gil. I was curious to know if it was a person other than the umpire that determined the upper and lower levels. Very interesting. As for the mathematical calculations, which is way beyond me, you are freakish smart!

Anonymous said...

It's interesting to note what Gil's comment really says. The person MLB trusts with the live strike zone is the professionally trained umpire who has umpired, at minimum, nearly 800 games before going under the Pitch f/x review. Before a pitch is called, a series of interviews, rules and scoring quizzes are conducted(umpire school).

Now this should scare people. So who do they leave to evaluate these highly trained professionals? A peer? A former umpire? A current umpire? Who? According to Gil's post, MLB hires someone through a series of interviews, rules and scoring quizzes. Scoring, really? I wonder why that is?

I certainly hope over at John Hopkins University the resident doctors are evaluated by qualified PHD's and not a person the hospital has hired through a series of interviews...........blah, blah......

See my point?

And believe me the umpires are not happy there is not an umpire running the software.

Also, I like how the NHL uses one guy to do all replays, that seems really consistent. How can you have a consistent strike zone with 15-19 different guys, who are not umpires, setting the zone?

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