A baseball comes hurtling toward home plate at unimaginable speeds. It looks like the ball is off the strike zone, and there will be another chance for a hit. However, the umpire behind the plate yells “strike,” ending the game controversial and unjust. This is the major problem the highest rank of baseball, Major League Baseball, faces in every game that is played.
This issue has raged on for years as umpires call strikes based on their own judgment of the pitch–an issue easily solved if the MLB implemented a computer-based pitch tracking system to judge the call for the umpires. The practice of having umpires make the calls is outdated and unfair and taints the MLB’s reputation as a just sport.
Many teams of different levels, like the MSD varsity and JV baseball teams, do not use a computerized strike zone. Although leagues of the lower ranks do not use technology, it is preposterous that the highest league of baseball, the MLB, is continuing to have the umpire make calls. The concept of umpires making calls off their own view is a thing of the past, and the MLB should switch over to the use of technology.
The adoption of umpires into baseball began in 1876, when a man named William McLean umpired the first ever National League game, preceding the merger between the National and American Leagues. Umpires have served as a sort of referee since that spring day in 1876. They are undoubtedly a large part of the sports culture, but it has been long overdue for baseball to let technology take over.
One of baseball’s longest lasting problems is the horrendous strike and ball calls behind home plate. Over the sport’s history, there have been many umpires notorious for making unbelievable calls, some directly determining the outcome of games. In an outright wrong decision, the MLB has chosen to retain their rules for umpires to make calls on their own judgment, rather than shift to technology capable of calling strikes for them.
Other baseball leagues have made the conscious decision to switch to technology for calling strikes and balls behind home plate. The Minor Leagues, otherwise known as the MiLB, is one of these leagues. This league, which is for players attempting to rise the ranks, uses a system that should be adopted by baseball around the world.
A CBS Sports article published on June 21 explains how the MiLB employs the automated ball-strike system, otherwise known as ABS, which uses technology to trace the strike zone, and determine whether a pitch is a ball or a strike based on where it crosses the zone. An umpire with an earpiece behind home plate then announces whether the pitch was a strike or not.
Despite the obvious fact that technology tracking systems are superior to the judgment of a human eye, the MLB still refuses to convert to the ABS system. Rather than be fully assured that all calls are correct and fair, the MLB prefers to use a traditional and outdated system that is heavily flawed. An umpire’s view can easily be obstructed or blocked, and an error in human judgment can easily be made, leading to erroneous calls.
The absence of technological tracking systems can lead to many games being directly determined by controversial rulings. The presence of human judgment for strike rulings can lead to pivotal games being tainted with injustice, and umpires developing notorious reputations for lapses in their judgments.
The most notorious of them all is Angel Hernandez. The inconsistency in his calls and frequent criticism led to him being considered the worst umpire to ever grace the sport.
Although Hernandez had quite the resume when it came to horrendous strike calls, there is one that sticks out among the rest. On April 12, in a game between the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros, Hernandez called three consecutive pitches strikes, all of which were outside the strike zone. One strikeout pitch was even 6.78 inches out of the zone, setting a record for the largest miss on a called strike out.
Hernandez has cost many teams a chance to win due to his awful judgment, a result easily avoidable with the use of technology to call the shots. His terrible rulings and judgment serve as a reason why many players and fans are happy to see that he has retired from umpiring.
If the MLB used technology that is already used in the MiLB, these horrendous calls would permanently cease, making the game fairer.
Technology must be implemented in the professional ranks of baseball. The traditional umpire only system is outdated and unnecessary with the technology available. While umpires have always been the head of baseball rulings, it is time for them to take a step back and let technology lead the way. Solving this major issue in professional baseball will make it one of America’s favorite pastimes once again.
