What is the strike zone in baseball? Explaining the imaginary rectangle in detail

NCAA baseball defines a strike zone as an imaginary area over home plate that a pitch must pass to be called a strike. According to NCAA rules, the strike zone "starts from the bottom of the kneecaps to the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants."

The strike zone depends on the batter's stance while preparing for a swing at a pitched ball.

If a batter crouches or leans over to make the shoulder line lower, the umpire determines the height of the strike zone by what would be the normal stance of a batter in a baseball game. The umpire decides whether the pitch passes through the zone. If a pitch misses the strike zone, it's called a ball if the batter does not swing.

With modern baseball using radars to track pitches and evaluate the accuracy of ball and strike calls made by home plate umpires, the strike zone has also changed through the years to adapt to current standards.

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Strike zone varies on umpires officiating a baseball game

Rules on the enforcement of a strike may differ among umpires who officiate a baseball game. But a pitch can be called a strike if any part of the ball passes through any part of the strike zone and it has not bounced.

Meanwhile, a pitch that touches the zone's outer boundary can be called a strike. A strike is also called when a pitch thrown has passed from the outer part of the zone but re-entered farther back through a curving motion without getting hit by the batter. This kind of strike is called a back-door strike.

Official Baseball Rules state that umpires will not tolerate any objections to a judgment call on the field, including balls and strikes. A player, coach or manager who leaves his dugout or field position to contest a call receives an initial warning before getting ejected if he they continue to complain.

The college strike zone is much wider and larger than the traditional box employed in Major League Baseball. It expands beyond the edge of the plate and is a bit lower as compared to the big leagues. The NCAA strike zone also shifts outward depending on the batter's handedness, as per Medium.com.

The strike zone in college baseball evolves rapidly. With the use of modern technology for better accuracy in calling balls and strikes, it's still up to the umpires whether the pitched ball is called a strike or not.