This appears to be one of the most apt uses of advanced technology in all of the major sports.
Incidentally, here’s a story in The Atlantic from a little while ago, which had this interesting blurb about (human) umpires in it:
The piece was largely about the decline in certain abilities as we age, an interesting topic for another time and place.
The partnership with the Atlantic League is an interesting development this year. I go to some of the games of the Somerset Patriots. It’s a good level of play and a fun time. None of the teams have any affiliation with a major league club. MLB has entered into the partnership with the Atlantic League to test new rules and innovation. MLB gets to see how things work and the Atlantic League gets an infusion of cash.
The last game I went to I noticed they were using the rule where in extra innings they start the inning with a runner on second. Apparently that’s now a rule in several minor leagues. I don’t hate it.
I think the inconsistency and downright mistakes in ball/strike calls is the biggest problem in all of sport officiating. There was a time when line calls in tennis seemed to be just as big of a problem but, with the advent of the appeal process made possible by the advancement of technology, that is a thing of the past.
OK, that’s a completely weird rule, but I can see where it’s coming from.
Who’s the runner, the guy before the batter in the order?
Tennis is my go to example of how a sport can be well officiated. Once it was a pretty badly officiated sport because, in all honesty, it’s not possible for human eyesight to be all that good at a sport moving that fast. What they’ve done, though, is
Get a LOT of judges. A top tier tennis match has eleven officials, not even counting replay staff, and
Use a lot of tech to get it right. This started many years ago with Cyclops but Hawkeye has brought it to a new level.
The result is a MUCH better sport.
I was wondering that too. Or do they have a designated runner?
Has the stealing first been implemented yet? If so, how do they handle when one thinks of trying to go, but stops, like with checked swings? Does it relate to if they leave the batters box or some other line of delineation?
I’m a fan of robot umps - long overdue. It’s terrible to see how home plate umps have infused their “personality” into the game. Some might argue that the ump’s ball/strike tendencies are part of the game, but it’s only a part of the game because we’ve had no other alternative. We’ve had to tolerate and put up with arrogant asses like Joe West who think thousands of fans come to see him sweat his fat ass off every night when they’re there to see Max Scherzer and Bryce Harper.
Yes. The runner at second is the batter in the order prior to that inning’s leadoff hitter, and players removed from the game will be ineligible to return. A runner who starts an extra inning at second is counted as reaching on an error for purposes of determining earned runs, but no errors are charged.