Hey, Ump, These Balls Should’ve Been Strikes

Photo by Bob Levey/Getty ImagesFor a number of years, I would eagerly await for when former FanGraphs writer Jeff Sullivan would release his famous worst called ball and strike articles. His series of worst calls were easily one of my favorites within the realm of baseball writing and the detailed breakdown involved was always fascinating to read. While I am no Sullivan when it comes to my baseball writing ability, I decided to take a stab at the topic from an Astros point of view.

For my research, I first went to Baseball Savant and initiated a search on all called balls in 2020 located in the “heart of the plate.” By Tangotiger’s definition, the “heart of the plate” is where the “batter…