Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you.
Posted on 07/15/2025 12:53:21 PM PDT by Enterprise
The hottest topic in Atlanta ahead of Tuesday’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game isn’t a player, a coach or a manager.
It’s not even human.
For the first time, the midsummer classic is going to be using automated technology to allow pitchers, catchers and batters to challenge balls and strikes – a system that’s been in use in the minor leagues and in spring training but had never been put in place before at a major league park.
It’s a technology that has the potential to revolutionize the game, a system that might forever change one of the ficklest parts of an incredibly fickle game: The ever-changing, unpredictable strike zone put in place by all-too-human home plate umpires.
Pitchers are largely unfazed – at least before the game gets going.
“I don’t plan on using them. I’m probably not going to use them in the future. I’m gonna let the catcher do that,” said Tarik Skubal, the Detroit Tigers star who will start the game for the American League. “I have this thing where I think everything’s a strike until the umpire calls it a ball.”
Paul Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates fireballer who will start for the National League, felt much the same way.
“Pitchers think that everything’s a strike, then you go back and look at it and it’s two, three balls off,” he said Monday. “So, we should not be the ones that are challenging it. I really do like the human element of the game. I think this is one of those things that you kind of think that umpires are great until they’re not, and so I could kind of care less either way, to be honest.”
(Excerpt) Read more at lite.cnn.com ...
|
|
Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
One would think that we have the ability to implement a computer based umpire system for balls and strikes. Why we don’t actually implement it is beyond me.
For one thing, we’d be able to actually determine if it was a ball or strike because we could program the words BALL and STRIKE so we could understand it, unlike today’s umpire gibberish.
Video review already kills the action.
What’s next?
Ball pitching machines?.....................
The Yankees could use one in their bullpen.
agree, why not robotic pinch hitters next?
“The Yankees could use one in their bullpen.”
The bullpen is for warming up pitchers. Catchers don’t need warming up.
Pitchers are playing video games.
a pitching machine...get it?
It’s the curve ball specialists that will have the hardest time adjusting since their pitches tend to dive below the strike zone at the last minute, fooling the umpires. Fastball guys won’t see a lot of change.
But it’s coming... possibly as early as next season, as it’s already in the minors.
I work at a AAA stadium where we have been testing this system for a couple of years. I like it. I see many calls overturned because of bad umpiring with balls and strikes.
Each team gets 3 challenges. Use them wisely.
I see the crew testing the measurements on a regular basis. The calls are accurate.
MLB is taking a big risk with this. Fans may want it the rest of the year - but they won’t have it. Imagine a World Series game is decided by a disputed strike call which the ump clearly got wrong? Also, only allowing 2 challenges per game seems kind of stingy.
It is a challenge system. Two challenges per team per game.
Umpires still make the calls.
Interesting experiment. And bravo for the pitchers that admit “for me everything is a strike”.
“a pitching machine...get it?”
No. The pitchers need warming up, not the catchers.
With today's technology, you would have 100% accuracy in calls if they were all called by computer analysis. I say why not, who cares about a home plate umpire goofing up calls.
Umpires spend more time with pitchers than they do with batters. That makes them inclined to be “generous” in their calls with them IMO. Batters also argue more with umpires so then there’s that too.
When it comes to a called strike three, umpires should be less inclined to punch someone out on marginal calls that “nick” the plate or are vertically questionable. A generous call on a third strike can quickly change the game.
Some of the overhead replays of pitches are notoriously outside of the plate which is 17” wide. Three inches either side significantly widens the plate for the pitcher.
The poster said, what next pitching machines (replacing pitchers as the topic is computers replacing home plate calls).
I responded (The Yankees bullpen is soo bad ) the bullpen could use one (as a replacement for their failed bullpen pitchers)
Oh! I see now that you meant they could use one in their rotation.
+1
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.