Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. By all means, please continue reading below about MLB’s new technology. But if you read only one thing I wrote today, make it my feature story on Dublin’s Croke Park and the NFL’s international expansion. We also have an excellent video on the history of this iconic stadium.
In today’s SI:AM:
🤖 Robo umps coming to MLB
🇮🇪 One of the greatest stadiums in the world
☘️ Tatum opens up
If you’re reading this on SI.com, click here to subscribe and receive SI:AM directly in your inbox each morning.
This isn’t science fiction
MLB confirmed Tuesday what had long been speculated: so-called “robo umps” are coming to the major leagues in 2026. But fear not, baseball traditionalists, this isn’t the end of the world.
Here’s a quick rundown of all the most important facts: Next season, MLB will begin using the “challenge system.” Human umpires will still call every pitch, but batters, pitchers and catchers will be able to challenge the call if they disagree. All a player needs to do to initiate a challenge is tap the top of their head and vocalize their disagreement. When a challenge is requested, the Automated Ball-Strike System (or ABS for short) makes the final call as to whether the pitch was a ball or a strike, and the outcome is conveyed by showing a graphic of the pitch on the stadium video board and on the TV broadcast. Each team gets two challenges per game but retains its challenge if it is successful.
The announcement comes after years of testing in the minor leagues. ABS made its full-season debut in 2021 in the Class A Florida State League, and by ’23 it was used in all Triple A games. MLB also experimented with using the system in spring training games this year.
Part of the early testing of ABS was weighing the pros and cons of two different styles of automatic pitch calling: what’s known as “full ABS” and the challenge system. Under full ABS, the computer makes all ball-strike calls and the umpire is just back there to relay the call. The challenge system quickly emerged as the preferred format for all parties involved. Replacing umpires with computers would have caused a revolt among old-school fans, not to mention the umpires themselves. There’s also the potential for technological hiccups (what if the stadium WiFi is slow?). Catchers whose value is derived primarily from pitch framing (like the Guardians’ Austin Hedges) would have been out of a job.
The challenge system is a perfect middle ground between the status quo and the dystopian technofuturism of full ABS. It preserves the art of catcher framing and the “human element” of umpiring that has existed for 150 years, but it also guarantees that you’ll never see another viral tweet of a pitch thrown right down Main Street that the umpire calls a ball. Well, you may still see that, but at least the batter can publicly shame the ump by tapping his head incredulously and getting the call overturned.
The implementation of ABS will also be another way to reward players for their understanding of the strike zone (or punish those who lack that understanding). Since each team is only allowed two unsuccessful challenges, the decision to challenge a call is an extremely important one. How will teams instruct their players to approach the challenge? The Mets will surely tell Juan Soto to dispute any call he disagrees with, since his eye seems to be on par with the computer. But maybe the Tigers will tell Javier Báez not to dare tap his head. (Báez ranks in the bottom 1% in both whiff rate and walk rate this season.)
It’s hard to think of any downsides associated with this change. Unless you’re a fan of teams getting screwed by obviously bad calls, there really isn’t anything to object to. Pitchers will still be rewarded for their ability to nibble at the edges of the zone, batters will still be rewarded for understanding the boundaries of the zone and catchers will still be rewarded for making those boundaries a little more flexible. In instances where an egregious missed call goes against them, a player can easily rectify it by requesting a review.
The challenges won’t be too obtrusive, either. Don’t expect every MLB game to become two-and-a-half hours of guys tapping their heads. In spring training games that used ABS this season, only 2.6% of pitches were challenged, and 80% of games had five or fewer total challenges.
There will surely be some extremists who believe that the umpire’s word should be gospel and others on the opposite end of the spectrum who want to replace the man behind the plate with one of those rolling robots you see in the grocery store. But for the vast majority of fans, this is a sensible solution to a long-standing source of frustration that moves the game forward without sacrificing too much tradition. If only other technological advances could be as reasonable.
The best of Sports Illustrated
- Today’s Digital Cover is my story from my trip to Dublin on the history of Croke Park, which on Sunday will host Ireland’s first NFL game. Be sure to also check out the accompanying video.
- Chris Mannix sits down with Jayson Tatum, who opens up about the mental and physical battles of his Achilles injury, the fear it might end his career and how small steps forward fuel his determination to return to the court.
- Emma Baccellieri reports from Minneapolis as the Mercury erased a 20-point deficit and capitalized on rare Lynx miscues to steal Game 2 in overtime.
- Clare Brennan breaks down why the Liberty’s decision to part ways with Sandy Brondello—just a year after delivering the franchise’s first title—feels like a risky and puzzling move.
- Pat Forde reflects on Mike Gundy’s ouster at Oklahoma State, noting that the fiery coach’s departure was as unsurprising—and on-brand—as his long, complicated tenure.
- Bryan Fischer argues that Gundy’s firing should serve as a warning to Dabo Swinney, whose resistance to adapting is leaving Clemson behind in today’s rapidly evolving college football landscape.
The top five…
… plays in baseball last night:
5. A beautiful barehanded play by Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon.
4. Edwin Díaz’s strikeout of Dansby Swanson to seal a dramatic win for the Mets. New York trailed the Cubs 6–1 after four innings but came back to take the lead on Francisco Alvarez’s homer in the eighth. Díaz then struck out five batters in a two-inning save.
3. Kyle Schwarber’s 54th home run of the year, a towering shot into the upper deck in Philadelphia.
2. Geraldo Perdomo’s walk-off single for the Diamondbacks. Arizona is just one game out of the final wild-card spot in the NL.
1. Jose Caballero’s walk-off single to clinch a spot in the postseason for the Yankees. It was a wild game in the Bronx that saw the game-tying run score in the bottom of the ninth inning on a wild pitch with two strikes and two outs.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as SI:AM | MLB Fans Should Welcome Their New Robot Overlords.