Umpire Tom Hallion might be the most Frank Drebin of all the working umpires today. When he gets to call a third strike, he recognizes it’s an opportunity that he should never, ever take for granted, and he goes nuts.
Latos, Cain cruising through 3
And early on, his strike zone is a touch wide on both sides, but it’s not egregious. And with Cain and Latos known for their command, this has the makings of a fast-paced game.
It’s worth noting that this is Hallion’s reputation -- Baseball Prospectus has Hallion’s strikeouts-per-nine at 30 out of 82 major-league umpires, which jibes with his strike zone today -- a little on the pitchers’ side, but certainly reasonable.
So now the Giants and Reds have a tough task: They’re facing pitchers who throw strikes, but who can also go just outside the strike zone. Through three innings, that paradigm has played out exactly like you would expect.
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