{"id":575,"date":"2026-06-20T05:39:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T05:39:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationallogisticspost.com\/?p=575"},"modified":"2026-06-20T05:39:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T05:39:14","slug":"mlb-does-the-robot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationallogisticspost.com\/?p=575","title":{"rendered":"MLB Does the Robot"},"content":{"rendered":"
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M<\/span>ajor League Baseball is America\u2019s national <\/span>pastime,<\/span> but even pastimes change to preserve their cultural relevance, and MLB is no different. A sport that was <\/span>popularized<\/span> during the Civil War era has tinkered with its rules over the years, including the designated <\/span>hitter,<\/span> a 15-second pitch <\/span>clock,<\/span> and a ghost <\/span>runner<\/span> for extra innings. Now, MLB has instituted a <\/span>\u2018robot<\/span> umpire\u2019 this season, and it is improving the game.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Deminers: The Dangerous Work of Giving Ukraine Back Its Land<\/a><\/p>\n

The automated balls and strikes system <\/span>(ABS)<\/span> is the official name of the new software that MLB is experimenting with for 2026. How it works is that every team is given two <\/span>challenges<\/span> per game to appeal a ball or strike call they believe the umpire got wrong.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Only a pitcher, catcher, or hitter can challenge a call, and they have 2 seconds to tap their hat or helmet to initiate an <\/span>official<\/span> review. The catch is that if you are <\/span>wrong<\/span> twice in a game, you are out of challenges. However, if you challenge the call and are correct, you get to <\/span>keep<\/span> them. If the game goes to extra innings, one is <\/span>awarded<\/span> to each team unless they already have both challenges remaining. They do not carry over to the successive inning if they are not <\/span>used.<\/span><\/p>\n

The official strike zone for ABS is somewhat different from what umpires have historically used in the past. Traditionally, the strike zone\u2019s <\/span>width<\/span> is based on the width of home plate, 17 inches. The height of the strike zone is the rectangular midpoint <\/span>between<\/span> the shoulder blades and belt, and the lower level at the back of the knees.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the ABS zone uses the same width from home plate, the length is <\/span>determined<\/span> by a batter\u2019s height. Players underwent testing during spring training to <\/span>certify<\/span> official height measurements. For instance, Astros\u2019 2<\/span>nd<\/span> baseman Jose <\/span>Altuve<\/span> is 5\u20196\u201d and Yankees outfielder Aaron <\/span>Judge<\/span> is 6\u20197\u2033, which is a difference of 13 inches. Instead of an umpire using the eye test to do them by the same zone, they will be called by two different zones that are <\/span>consistent<\/span> with ABS.<\/span><\/p>\n

Each ballpark is equipped with 12 Hawk-Eye <\/span>cameras<\/span> that capture the field\u2019s periphery and can trace where the ball crosses the plate in live action. When a player on the field disputes a call, the system\u2019s zone graphic <\/span>appears<\/span> on the video board showing where the pitch landed in the strike zone.<\/span><\/p>\n

MLB\u2019s trial and error with the ABS started in the minor leagues with full <\/span>automation<\/span> that originated in the Independent Atlantic League in <\/span>2019.<\/span> A computer called every ball and strike. The robot umpiring generated negative feedback from players, coaches, and even paid spectators. The problem was the slow pace of play and the inability of catchers to frame strikes. After 2024, MLB <\/span>scrapped<\/span> the full automation and moved to a standard challenge system that keeps human umpires and allows players to challenge calls in leverage situations.<\/span><\/p>\n

While not a full year into the Major League season, the ABS is already proving to be a net positive for the game. We are already seeing umpires held <\/span>accountable<\/span> for missed calls. It\u2019s hard to believe, but umpires have been improving their correct calls every year since <\/span>2008.<\/span> Even if umpires are getting 90% of calls right, that\u2019s still thousands of missed calls. ABS makes <\/span>umpires<\/span> better at their job while taking no more than 15 seconds to review the scoreboard graphic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Hillary vs. Jill<\/a><\/p>\n

It is worth noting that in-game challenges do not slow down the pace of play. Nine-inning baseball games had an average running <\/span>time<\/span> of 2 hours and 41 minutes as of May, which is slightly up from <\/span>two<\/span> years ago. MLB teams, on average, use around <\/span>four<\/span> challenges per game and have a 53% <\/span>success<\/span> rate, which likely accounts for the minute uptick.<\/span><\/p>\n

Undoubtedly, fans relish seeing runners batted in, and there was a noticeable increase in runs. Springtime is generally bad for hitting due to colder weather<\/span>, which leads<\/span> to fewer fly balls and home runs. However, in the past five seasons, only one year\u2019s opening month was higher <\/span>(2023)<\/span>. Scoring is up 4% <\/span>compared<\/span> to 2025\u2019s opening months, but it\u2019s only a meager 1.5% compared to last year\u2019s total scoring numbers. With a tighter strike zone and warmer weather, expect more scoring to persist.<\/span><\/p>\n

One noticeable increase is more walks this year. According to the latest numbers, the walk rate stands at <\/span>9.4%,<\/span> which is a percentage point higher than last season. If the trend continues, it would be the highest walk rate since <\/span>1951.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Batters are more selective, thus they are not <\/span>swinging<\/span> as much as they used to. Now they have a deeper understanding of the strike zone and can challenge close pitches. Pitchers are <\/span>throwing<\/span> harder than ever, but they are also throwing more <\/span>pitches<\/span> and not going deep into games as they adjust to the tighter zone. More walks, more baserunners, and more scoring lead to more fan engagement, which is good for the game.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, there are baseball purists who would rather see the game played without any rule changes or technological innovations. Hall of Famer and baseball purist John Smoltz called ABS a <\/span>\u201cbig success\u201d<\/span> for MLB, but he warned about full-time automation. Thankfully, we will never be going back to only <\/span>human<\/span> umpires, like the NFL will never go back to single-bar face masks. Baseball uses technology and will continue to use it, improving with more data.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some would assert that \u201cbaseball is art, not <\/span>science.\u201d<\/span> Fair enough; however, baseball was never meant to be a sport trapped in a time capsule. It\u2019s a game that\u2019s continually modernized, from <\/span>lowering<\/span> the mound to racial <\/span>integration,<\/span> and that\u2019s helped bring in new fans while keeping the game from standing still. The automated strike zone is the next phase of ensuring professional baseball\u2019s historical prestige.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more A Nest of Vipers: G7 Summit and the United States<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A most wonderful article<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":574,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-arena"],"yoast_head":"\nMLB Does the Robot - National Logistics Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nationallogisticspost.com\/?p=575\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MLB Does the Robot - National Logistics Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A most wonderful article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nationallogisticspost.com\/?p=575\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"National Logistics Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-20T05:39:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nationallogisticspost.com\\\/?p=575#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nationallogisticspost.com\\\/?p=575\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nationallogisticspost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/af6e6ad9b3cf5bfe495dc5541ee6a5cc\"},\"headline\":\"MLB Does the Robot\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-20T05:39:14+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nationallogisticspost.com\\\/?p=575\"},\"wordCount\":1002,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nationallogisticspost.com\\\/?p=575#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nationallogisticspost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/80f1cf47a5fe87626c5df57fbdfc4ad0.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports Arena\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nationallogisticspost.com\\\/?p=575#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nationallogisticspost.com\\\/?p=575\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nationallogisticspost.com\\\/?p=575\",\"name\":\"MLB Does the Robot - 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