Strike Three, You're Out - And You're Welcome, Buddy

Researchers at the University of Texas have found that umpires are more likely to call strikes for pitchers of the same race or ethnicity, according to an article at LiveScience.

The study analyzed every pitch from the 2004 through 2006 major league baseball seasons in an effort to determine whether racial discrimination figured into an umpire's decision to call a strike or a ball.

“Umpires judge the performance of players every game, deciding whether pitches are strikes or balls,” UT economics professor Daniel Hamermesh told LiveScience. “Discrimination affects the outcome of a game and the labor market, determining the pitcher’s market value and compensation.”

The research found that if a pitcher was of the same race or ethnicity as the home plate umpire, more strikes are called and his team’s chance of winning is improved.

The power to evaluate players’ performances disproportionately belonged chiefly to white umpires, while negative calls particularly impacted minority pitchers, Hamermesh said.

But, this behavior diminishes when the umpire's calls are more closely scrutinized—for example, at ballparks with electronic monitoring systems, in full count situation where there are 3 balls or 2 strikes, or at well-attended games.

Hamermesh conducted the study with UT grad student Johan Sulaeman, along with finance professors from McGill and Auburn universities.

Photo by Geren W. Mortensen, Jr. on flickr