'Robot' Umpires Come to Major League Baseball (Spring Training) Games (apnews.com) 27
An anonymous reader shared this report from the Associated Press:
A computerized system that calls balls and strikes is being tested during Major League Baseball spring training exhibition games starting Thursday after four years of experiments in the minor leagues. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is an advocate of the Automated Ball-Strike System, which potentially as early as 2026 could be used to aid MLB home plate umpires, but not replace them...
Stadiums are outfitted with cameras that track each pitch and judge whether it crossed home plate within the strike zone. In early testing, umpires wore ear buds and would hear "ball" or "strike," then relay that to players and fans with traditional hand signals. The challenge system adds a wrinkle. During spring training, human umps will call every pitch, but each team will have the ability to challenge two calls per game, with no additions for extra innings. A team retains its challenge if successful, similar to the regulations for big league teams with video reviews, which were first used for home run calls in August 2008 and widely expanded to many calls for the 2014 season.
Only a batter, pitcher or catcher may challenge a call, signaling with the tap of a helmet or cap; and assistance from the dugout is not allowed. A challenge must be made within 2 seconds... MLB has installed the system in 13 spring training ballparks that are home to 19 teams.
After a full season of testing in the Triple-A minor league, roughly 51% of the challenges were successful. Interestingly, the system makes its call exactly halfway across home plate> , where human umpires consider the strike zone to cover the whole 17 inches from the front to the back of home plate.
Stadiums are outfitted with cameras that track each pitch and judge whether it crossed home plate within the strike zone. In early testing, umpires wore ear buds and would hear "ball" or "strike," then relay that to players and fans with traditional hand signals. The challenge system adds a wrinkle. During spring training, human umps will call every pitch, but each team will have the ability to challenge two calls per game, with no additions for extra innings. A team retains its challenge if successful, similar to the regulations for big league teams with video reviews, which were first used for home run calls in August 2008 and widely expanded to many calls for the 2014 season.
Only a batter, pitcher or catcher may challenge a call, signaling with the tap of a helmet or cap; and assistance from the dugout is not allowed. A challenge must be made within 2 seconds... MLB has installed the system in 13 spring training ballparks that are home to 19 teams.
After a full season of testing in the Triple-A minor league, roughly 51% of the challenges were successful. Interestingly, the system makes its call exactly halfway across home plate> , where human umpires consider the strike zone to cover the whole 17 inches from the front to the back of home plate.
This will backfire (Score:3)
Re:This will backfire (Score:4, Interesting)
Wait and see. The challenge system implemented a couple of years ago really did help the game. Challenging tag calls and such seems to be working well.
Hopefully the ball/strike calls help in the same way, and don't simply provide fodder for people to complain when they don't like their calls.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
No, it won't. The technology is being tested to ~replace~ human umpires, not assist them. The average salary of an MLB umpire is $300K per year. That is a very large incentive to MBL team owners to reduce costs. Cut 4 umpires, and ownership pockets $1M+ per year. Never underestimate the greed of the oligarchy.
What is more, it is foolish to think that the endless whining and bitching about bad calls will ever stop. If the umpires are replaced, the next complaint will be that some programmer is cheating, perhaps even claims that AI will be "moving the ball" into or out of the strike zone . This will be interesting, and the whining will never stop.
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In the same way as instant replay was rejected years ago, but even more so.
Current instant replay for many sports can be criticized for (1) taking too long for reviews and (2) arriving at the wrong conclusions. This particular ball-strike challenge avoids both of these criticisms. Reviews don't require humans in the loop because the computer decides the result of the appeal, so the replay is almost instantaneous. Also, the conclusions are based on sensors and algorithms, so there is no human judgment involvement. It is often fickle and inconsistent human judgment in reviews th
I don't follow sports, but... (Score:2)
...I suspect that part of the social aspect of sports is arguing about bad calls. If the officiating was perfect, fans would have less to talk about
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, they should blow calls on purpose. Then we'd have even more to talk about.
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They already do. His name is Angel Hernandez.
I hate baseball and even I know about this twat.
Re: I don't follow sports, but... (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: I don't follow sports, but... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: I don't follow sports, but... (Score:2)
"By your command..." (Score:4, Funny)
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Wouldn't be many arguments at the plate.
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Cry from the grandstand (Score:4)
kill -9 `pidof umpire`
just make it so bad that umps or players go on str (Score:2)
just make it so bad that umps or players go on strike!
Umpires are not supposed to be part of the play (Score:3)
I never understood how MLB defended missed balls and strikes as an important part of the game. Even if the umpire is consistent, a very different strike zone can favor one pitcher over the other. I think the umpire's union had a lot to do with it.
They've already invalidated the "tradition" argument with their extra innings rules changes and the NL designated hitter. This should go online ASAP. Until then, we'll watch the superimposed strike zone on TV and know exactly when the home plate umpire screwed up, again.
Re: (Score:2)
This.
If the umpires get every call correct they haven't made the game better. All they can do is hurt the game.
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I think having-umpires is an improvement over not-having-umpires, but I can see how one might idealize street baseball played by kids, where the calls are just a consensus judgement by everyone present. It'd be pretty hilarious if the pros tried that for a year. Would suck to be a bookee, though.
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I never understood how MLB defended missed balls and strikes as an important part of the game. Even if the umpire is consistent, a very different strike zone can favor one pitcher over the other. I think the umpire's union had a lot to do with it.
They've already invalidated the "tradition" argument with their extra innings rules changes and the NL designated hitter. This should go online ASAP. Until then, we'll watch the superimposed strike zone on TV and know exactly when the home plate umpire screwed up, again.
We replace the umpires because they are not perfect. Next we replace the players, AI baseball, at least achieves the perfection the fans demand!
No mention of its first use? (Score:2)
This system has already been used in Spring training. Yu Darvish thought he pitched a strike but the umpire, a human umpire, called a ball. Yu challenged it and the system concurred it was a strike, overturning the human umpire's call [fanrecap.com].
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What's the actual strike zone rule? (Score:2)
Interestingly, the system makes its call exactly halfway across home plate> , where human umpires consider the strike zone to cover the whole 17 inches from the front to the back of home plate.
How do major league rules define the strike zone with respect to the depth of the plate? And if it's not defined front-to-back, when will the rules committee get to work on this?
Go watch The Sandlot (Score:2)
There's way too much technology involved in baseball. There is no purity to it any longer.
This applies to many things.
I understand the application of data science to industry, but applying it to recreation makes pass-times into industry (and more exclusionary).
They are timing the pitches, and monitoring the strike zones. Sets of rules aligned to technology and process, not the game.
They are simply refining the content for optimized entertainment, the game isn't the game, it's the revenues.