‘Robo Umps’ Step Up to the Plate After High-Tech Strikes Out at Wimbledon

Major League Baseball is testing a robotic strike-calling system during Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Atlanta, unveiling high-tech innovation on one of its biggest stages. However, many players and fans remain skeptical after Wimbledon faced heavy criticism this year for replacing its line judges with an automated system.The electronic line-calling system has become a point of controversy over the last two weeks at one of the world’s most prestigious tennis tournaments, as players, fans, and former officials have publicly questioned its accuracy.In one blunder, a fault was called during an active rally, interrupting play. The point was played over. Also, several incorrect in/out calls made by robots couldn’t be changed. There were no issues with the system in either of the men’s semifinals on Friday. MLB is monitoring the use of robots at Wimbledon, though the Automated Ball-Strike system differs from tennis’s Electronic Line Calling system. Unlike Wimbledon, where line judges have been turned into glorified butlers escorting players off the court during breaks, human umpires will still work behind home plate.The challenge system allows pitchers, catchers, and batters to question balls and strikes, and decisions will be made based on AI technology and scoreboard replays. MLB, which has been experimenting with an ABS in the minor leagues since 2019, estimates the challenge process averages 17 seconds. Each team can challenge two calls per game, with no additions for extra innings. A team retains its challenge if successful. The rule is similar to video reviews for home run calls, first used in 2008.The ABS was tested in 288 games during spring training this year. The MLB commissioner, Rob Manfred, said the feedback was primarily “positive” and the ABS could be considered for regular-season use as early as next season.“It’s clear people are watching closely, and for every botched strike call we’ve seen in the major leagues, there’s more support for giving the robots a try,” Mr. Manfred said.MLB can only hope baseball players are happier with robots than tennis players were at Wimbledon. Britain’s no. 1 player, Jack Draper, said some line calls were not “100 percent accurate,” while American Ben Shelton said he was forced to speed up his match because the system was losing power. A British star player, Emma Raducanu, said the robot missed a ball that her opponent hit out, and it was played as if it were in. A television replay indicated the ball looked out. “That call was for sure out,” Ms. Raducanu said after the match. “It’s kind of disappointing, the tournament here, that the calls can be so wrong.”Other players said they had trouble hearing the automated speaker system, and one deaf player was unable to tell when she won a point without hand signals from line judges.ABS was installed at 13 spring training sites shared by 19 teams. Cameras tracked each pitch and judged whether it crossed the plate within the rectangular strike zone. During MLB’s spring training experiment with the ABS, teams won 52.2 percent of the ball/strike challenges, with 617 of the 1,182 challenges successful in 288 games.According to an anonymous MLB player poll conducted by the Athletic on a variety of topics, 63.4 percent of players were against technology-called balls and strikes, with 17.1 percent in favor and 19.4 percent unsure.Those unsure or against the use of robo-umps said games will take longer, hitters will be less aggressive if they know a close pitch might be called a ball, and the catcher’s ability to frame pitches would become a lost art.“It takes away every bit of what the catcher is trying to do,” one pitcher told the Athletic. “[Their] job is to be able to receive and frame balls, and the umpires adjust to that and the hitter in the box. That’s kind of the cat-and-mouse game.”

‘Robo Umps’ Step Up to the Plate After High-Tech Strikes Out at Wimbledon

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