An over-the-top clickbait headline to promote the author's new book. The important clarification appears in paragraph 9 of the article:
"the challenge system that will be introduced next year, which gives each team two chances per nine innings to ask for an automated second guess"
Someday, fully-automated balls-and-strikes calls may come to Baseball. But the change for next season is nothing more than the home plate equivalent of American football's challenge flag.
"The Automated Ball-Strike (A.B.S.) challenge system, known informally as the robot ump, is coming to your local major league ballpark on Opening Day in 2026."
An over-the-top clickbait headline to promote the author's new book. The important clarification appears in paragraph 9 of the article:
"the challenge system that will be introduced next year, which gives each team two chances per nine innings to ask for an automated second guess"
Someday, fully-automated balls-and-strikes calls may come to Baseball. But the change for next season is nothing more than the home plate equivalent of American football's challenge flag.
"The Automated Ball-Strike (A.B.S.) challenge system, known informally as the robot ump, is coming to your local major league ballpark on Opening Day in 2026."
Gift link: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/24/opinion/world-series-robo...
Some related discussion a month ago:
MLB approves robot umpires for 2026 as part of challenge system
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45354304