Former MLB umpire fears officials face humiliation by ‘computer geeks’ under ABS

  • Automated Ball-Strike System will start this season

  • Players will be able to challenge calls under system

Former major league umpire Richie Garcia is worried about the impact that robot officials will have on their human counterparts.

Major League Baseball has introduced the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System for regular-season play in 2026, starting with the New York Yankees’ opener at San Francisco on Wednesday night. Teams will have a chance to appeal strike zone decisions to a system based on 12 Hawk-Eye cameras.

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