MLB Introduces Robot Umpires with Challenge System

On March 23rd, Major League Baseball is rolling out robot umpires this season through a new challenge system.

Human umpires will still make the initial ball and strike calls on every pitch, but each team gets two challenges per game.

If a challenge succeeds, the team keeps it, and they earn an extra one and extra innings if they've used theirs up.

Only the batter, pitcher, or catcher can signal for a challenge by tapping their helmet, and it has to happen within two seconds.

The system uses hawk eye cameras and stadiums to track pitches and decide if they hit the strike zone, customize to each batter's height measured.

During spring training, testing kicked off in the minor leagues back in 2019, moved to triple A in 2022, and was tried in spring training games last.

Year plus, the All-Star game in Atlanta.

Umpires already get about 94% of calls right, but the automated zone is a strict rectangle per the rulebook, unlike the more oval.

Shade they sometimes use.

Officials tweet the zone over time, narrowing its width to 17 inches to match home plate, and adjusting the top to 53.5.

Percent of a batter's height after pitcher feedback.

In recent triple A tests with challenges, teams won right around 50% of them, with catchers faring better at over 53%.

Success.

Challenges spiked on two strike counts or full counts, averaging about 4 per game, and taking just 13.8 seconds to resolve during spring training.

Players get measured without shoes from 10am to noon and spring training for uniform data, and with spring games underway, this tech promises.

Fairer calls while keeping the human element alive on the field.

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