So what’s up with the new outfield camera angle on Fox Sports Midwest?

Viewers tuning in this season to home games for the St. Louis Cardinals have noticed that there is no longer a near-straight shot from centerfield of the batter at the plate.

While some have speculated that it was an attempt to show additional billboard space behind the batter or to complicate life for those who create GIFs on social media, Fox Sports Midwest had a more simple explanation for the shift. Superimposition.

Added to every pitch last season, the live strike zone box shows where the ball crosses the plate on each pitch. However, with taller pitchers–like Michael Wacha or Adam Wainwright, FSM noticed that the box would at times be superimposed on the back of the pitcher’s head or glove.

In an effort to correct that, the camera was shifted more towards left from it’s original position in centerfield.

Viewers immediately reacted to the change, in particular on social media where fans negatively reacted to having to watch batters from the left field view.

According to a source familiar with the situation, Fox Sports Midwest made some adjustments to the location of their cameras after this past Saturday’s game. In addition, they also adjusted the width of the shot to the same as last season.

Moving forward, FSM will continue to monitor the situation and could potentially make more adjustments.

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