MLB OKs Robot Umpires for 2026 Season
Major League Baseball’s 11‑member competition committee approved the Automated Ball/Strike System (ABS) on Sept. 24, 2025, clearing the way for a challenge‑based robot‑umpire implementation beginning in 2026. The system uses Hawk‑Eye cameras to track pitches and will operate as a two‑challenge review for teams (with extra‑inning provisions), with specific strike‑zone calibration and operational rules detailed by MLB and tested in the minor leagues and at the All‑Star Game.
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Why Is Sports Twitter So Irate?
"The piece is a cultural critique of the furious reaction on 'Sports Twitter' to MLB's automated ball/strike system, arguing much of the outrage is performative, rooted in nostalgia and social‑media amplification rather than substantive grievances."
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5 things to know about robot umpires coming to MLB
New information:
- Approval date: September 24, 2025; ABS scheduled to be introduced in MLB in 2026.
- Challenge rules: each team gets two challenges per game (plus one extra per extra inning if challenges are used up); challenges must be signaled within 2 seconds and reviews average ~17 seconds.
- Technology/zone specifics: system uses Hawk‑Eye pose‑tracking cameras; ABS uses a rectangular rule‑book strike zone (17" width in recent calibration), evaluates at plate midpoint (8.5" from front/back), and uses batter height percentages (top 53.5%, bottom 27%).