Robo-umps May Be Calling Ball or Strike at MLB Games
In fairness to umpires, calling balls and strikes with 100 MPH fastballs and hard-breaking curveballs caught outside the zone is not an easy job. Umpires calling it wrong could potentially be fixed by 2024.
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred wants to introduce what is now called robo-umps.
From ESPN:
In 2024, Manfred says, the automated ball-strike zone system, or as it’s commonly called, “robot umpires,” will likely be introduced. One possibility is for the automated system to call every pitch and transmit the balls and strikes to a home plate umpire via an ear piece. Another option is a replay review system of balls and strikes with each manager getting several challenges a game. The system is being tested in the minor leagues and has shaved nine additional minutes off the average game length this season, MLB data shows. “We have an automated strike zone system that works,” Manfred says.
No point in an #MLB #challenge. Even with replay, umpires still get the call wrong. There's a reason they're testing robots to do this job.
— Kieran Brubaker (@KieranBrubaker) June 29, 2022
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