This spring, MLB players can challenge ball and strike calls. The camera-based system is only an experiment for now — but it has the baseball world wondering where to draw the line with technology.
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Expect a steep learning curve as batters learn to calibrate what they see from the side of the plate with what the cameras see behind/over the plate. Ditto the umpires. It will slow things down to start, but should speed up as the season progresses.
"We'll use technology to make some calls, but never balls and strikes." I've heard some form of this for years and it's never made one bit of sense. If you don't want to use any technology, fine. But if you use it at all, balls and strikes is the easiest, most effective and absolutely best use.
Don’t understand the push to keep draining the things that make baseball, baseball. The pace and the imperfections are part of the sport. Always have been.
Before the last two seasons the pace had slowed way down from games in the 80’s and 90’s. Specialized pitching matchups and constant pitching changers killed the flow of the game.
As an ardent traditionalist, I honestly *love* the pitch clock. Makes the games more like they used to be before every batter decided they needed to re-adjust their batting gloves three times between every pitch.
Maybe the line wouldn't have needed to have been drawn if umps didn't make such howlers? They're only human but cmon some strike calls are absolutely woeful.
Oof. Hard pass. I get that umps don't always get it right and are sometimes so out of the zone it's laughable, but between the pitch clock, the green screen ads everywhere, and now this, I might as well just play MLB on my switch instead of watching a game.
So long as the process is quick, I'm all for it. It's always better to get calls right than to get them wrong. Unless, of course, a wrong call that happens to hurt the Yankees in some way. I'm all for that.
Human participation and error makes games enjoyable. Seems to me they are just trying to make gambling appear fair so people will keep pumping money into all the apps.
If you've been to any AAA games you've probably seen it in action. A challenge can take less than 10 seconds and everyone sees the results. I saw go with it.
When tv won't show replays because the calls are so bad it's an issue, hold the umpires to a higher standard, getting thrown out for arguing should be a big fine. Nobody should leave the bench in a fight, fine and suspend everyone that does. Get rid of all those dumbass "unwritten rules" of baseball
So they sped up the game with timers on the pitchers,but will now eat the clock for batters? Let's just go back to basics, please. Or use a digital strike zone, no home plate ump needed. Overhead cameras can capture runs coming in at home plate.
Why would anyone want to draw the line with technology in sports? The entire point of professional sports like MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, etc, is to be playing at the highest level. Replace all human refs with cameras and computers and we would actually get champions that are the best at what they do!!
Call strikes from letters to the knees as it's supposed to be..not the belt. Tech is there..no need for umps poor judgement. They can just make the signal for fans..maybe.
Stupid…thought their goal was to speed up the game? Hope umpires go on strike…let the Commissioner call balls and strikes…dumbest idea I have heard…tap your helmet and cause a 20 minute delay while a machine is questioned… duh
Just a reminder: when the #Dodgers cheat, the league doesn't care.
The HELL-A FRAUDGERS are the "biggest CHEATERS in the whole fuckin' industry;" racist organization; buying titles; protected by manFRAUD and L.A.mestream media; with the most violent and racist fanbase. #ITFTD
The fact that we can tell if a pitcher is cheating by analyzing the spin of the ball by using high-speed cameras, but will still rely on a 60 year old dude squatting down squinting into the sun to determine the strike zone. Online gambling is ruining professional sports.
I love bad calls. I love the blowback from a bad call. It's part of the game. I love the fact that some umpires are better at balls and strikes that others and the fans and players know it. I love the fact that if an up blows a call he can make it up. It is a game. It is part of the game.
Technology should simply call every pitch. And the problem with this current system is that it uses the middle of the plate rather than the front, even though the front half is part of the strike zone.
Leave it to MLB to screw even this up.
Well when the umpires are as shitty as they are, something needs to be done. Especially now with all the betting websites and corruption with gambling. This shit needs to be fixed in all sports.
I watched yesterday’s Cubs and Dodgers spring training game. It took longer than the minors but was maybe 20 seconds. MLB had to show some video to dramatize it. With only 2 challenges per team, it should be a nothing burger and probably help when umps make horrible calls.
This is a good thing. It allows umpires to be umpires, but important calls are called correctly. The appeal process is much quicker than a normal replay review.
Just use the tech in the first place to call balls and strikes and get the sometimes completely incompetent umpires like Angel Hernandez out of the loop.
He was just an example. There are other terrible umps like Scott Barry and Hunter Wendelstedt. I don't think there is any doubt that balls and strikes are easier for Tech to call than humans given the velocities and spin rates of modern pitchers.
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But make sure MAGAs aren't in control.
Human element is part of the game and what makes baseball baseball
The HELL-A FRAUDGERS are the "biggest CHEATERS in the whole fuckin' industry;" racist organization; buying titles; protected by manFRAUD and L.A.mestream media; with the most violent and racist fanbase. #ITFTD
Such a bore.
Leave it to MLB to screw even this up.
Probably going to have to be 5 sponsors by the end of Feb.
This Carl's Jr pitched challenge brings us the SpaceX pitching grid that has the Ford Motors pitch trajectory.
You can see that'll be overturned and that will be a TMobile overturn
blatantly sometimes