Baseball is going to the bots

By David Mullen

In baseball, the practice of hitters, pitchers and managers arguing balls and strikes with a home plate umpire is as old as the game itself. It often turns theatrical, and the one complaining always loses.

The confrontations make for juicy “SportsCenter” highlights. The end results of the quarrels are usually as relevant to the game’s outcome as the scoreboard dot race. When the green dot wins, the red and blue dots lose, and the game continues. In balls and strikes arguments, the umpire wins and the Red Sox or Blue Jay (or any other player, coach or manager) loses and the game moves on. 

A balls and strikes beef may occasionally add entertainment value, but they divert attention from the game’s critical elements like blazing fastballs, remarkable defensive plays, well executed strategies and gargantuan home runs. That’s what fans really enjoy about the game.

With the 2025 regular season coming to an end and an intriguing postseason, which will not include the Texas Rangers, about to commence, MLB announced a change to the game that has been under consideration for years. The actual announcement of the decision was stealth in nature. In baseball terms, it looked like MLB was “trying to sneak a pitch” past fans. 

On September 23, MLB accepted the recommendation of the Joint Competition Committee, consisting of six owners, four active players and one current umpire, and approved the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System for use at the MLB level beginning in 2026.

It is another infusion of modern technology in baseball, which now embraces machines for measurement. Baseball has become obsessed with pitch spin, exit velocity, launch angle of batted balls, etc. 

In 2008, MLB instituted an instant replay review for fair and foul calls, safe and out calls on the bases, shoestring catches and fan interference. Baseball has never used replay for balls and strikes. The only way to appeal the location of a pitch was to argue with the umpire and, again, the umpire always wins.

In a statement released by MLB, Commissioner Rob Manfred said: “The previous rule changes that have been adopted by the Joint Competition Committee have had staying power and created momentum for the game. We used the same process with ABS that started with listening to fans, conducting extensive testing at the Minor League level, and trying at every step to make the game better.

“Throughout this process we have worked on deploying the system in a way that’s acceptable to players. The strong preference from players for the Challenge format over using the technology to call every pitch was a key factor in determining the system we are announcing today.”

Never missing an opportunity to make billionaire owners more money, Manfred and MLB announced that the ABS Challenge System will be “powered by T-Mobile.” 

The ABS Challenge System will not be used on each pitch. The determination of balls and strikes will remain the responsibility of the home plate umpire. Now, through ABS, MLB batters, pitchers and catchers have a second chance to remedy a bad call. Only a batter, pitcher or catcher can request a replay by tapping the top of their cap. When tested in spring training and in the minor leagues, the challenge process took an average of less than 14 seconds and was successful 51 percent of the time.   

The pitch replay will be shown on stadium scoreboards, like the technology used  to determine in and out calls in pro tennis.

Umpiring is difficult. Anyone that has officiated at any level knows how difficult it is. It’s the classic no win situation. Someone is happy and someone is maddened by your decision. 

An MLB umpire once told me, “Remember you go to a game to see three teams: the home team, the away team and the umpiring team.” No, you don’t. You go to a game to see the home team and the away team. I expect umpires to make correct decisions. Typically, a fan doesn’t know the names of the best umpires, only the names of the ones that consistently make questionable calls.

The inconsistency of the strike zone has been questioned for more than 150 years. Loosely defined, a strike is a baseball that crosses home plate between a batter’s chest — referred to in baseballese as “the letters” — and the knees. Hitters have tried to create their own strike zone. Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson batted from an exaggerated crouch. He walked 2,190 times, which ranks second all-time in baseball history.

Conversely, umpires have been known to have their own interpretations of the strike zone. “He has a low strike zone” means an umpire calls an inordinate number of low pitch strikes. A “pitcher’s ump” is one that is generous by extending the edges of home plate outward. The ABS will eliminate an umpire’s subjective ball or strike calls at key moments. 

Under the new rules, players will have a chance to challenge two ball or strike calls per game. If the call is overturned, the team retains their challenge for future use. In extra innings, an additional challenge will be provided if the two challenges were relinquished in the regulation nine-inning game. 

Replay technology is provided by Hawk-Eye Innovations, a sports technology known for advanced tracking, data collection and officiating. Baseball fans might have to get accustomed to hearing, “This ABS Challenge System replay, powered by T-Mobile, is presented by Hawk-Eye Innovations.”

 Baseball fans will adapt to the change. They have embraced the pitch clock, which has sped up the average game time by approximately 25 minutes. 

The ABS will make the game better. But fans yelling from the stands will have to adapt their umpire insults, as well. Instead of: “C’mon, Ump! Get your eyes checked!,” expect to hear: “C’mon, Gizmo! Get your battery pack checked!” Welcome to baseball in 2026.