US EditionEx-ump Richie Garcia worries current umps will be embarrassed when robots overturn ball/strike calls
- Major League Baseball introduced the Automated Ball-Strike System for regular-season play this season, starting Wednesday. Former umpire Richie Garcia criticized the move, saying he doesn't trust the strike zone measured by a "computer geek that knows nothing about baseball."
- While umpires achieved their most accurate season ever last year with a 92.83% rate, technology remains more precise. MLB implemented the system to address constant debate over pitches minutely off the zone.
- Under ABS, each team receives two challenges per game, keeping one if successful. During spring training, The Phillies led in success with 61%, while Texas and Arizona both lagged at 33%.
- "It's tough mentally on an umpire because you failed at your job and there's that instant feedback of failure," retired umpire Ted Barrett said. Umpires now face evaluations based on ABS performance.
- Younger generations prioritize the certainty of the technology over human judgment, Barrett, age 60, observed. Officials adjust to a new reality where performance is measured against the automated strike zone.
37 Articles
37 Articles
Everything to know about MLB’s new ABS robot challenge system — and the potential for humiliation
Major League Baseball introduced the Automated Ball-Strike System for regular-season play this season starting with the Yankees' opener at San Francisco on Wednesday night, giving teams a chance to appeal strike zone decisions to a system based on 12 Hawk-Eye cameras.
Big-league robot umpires are set to alter baseball
When the crack of the bat signals opening day for the 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) season today, there will be a new addition to the diamond: robot umpires. The technological change has been fiercely debated among sports enthusiasts for years but has finally made its way to the big leagues. It marks one of the biggest changes in the history of modern baseball.What are robot umpires? While the term makes it sound like robots are replacing the…
Associated Press News
Ex-ump Richie Garcia worries current umps will be embarrassed when robots overturn ball/strike calls
Robot-assisted strike calls are entering Major League Baseball games. MLB introduced the Automated Ball-Strike System for regular-season use in the New York Yankees’ opener at San Francisco.
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