Home Run Derby: Robot umpires to debut in All-Star Game as MLB eyes 2026 regular season use

Time of India

15 hours ago

Robot umpires
will make their debut in the
MLB All-Star Game
, marking a major step toward possible implementation in the
2026 regular season
. The
automated ball-strike system
, long tested in the minors, will allow teams two challenges.
Detroit Tigers ace and reigning AL Cy Young Award winner
Tarik Skubal
has a unique philosophy about pitching: "I think everything is a strike until the umpire calls it a ball." That mindset may be tested in a new way as
Major League Baseball
introduces the automated ball-strike (ABS) system to the All-Star Game for the first time this year.
MLB has been experimenting with ABS in the minor leagues since 2019 and now, in a trial run on the sport's biggest exhibition stage, each team will be allowed two challenges — with successful ones retained. The system uses a defined strike zone calculated as a percentage of each batter's height (53.5% for the top, 27% for the bottom) and focuses on the midpoint of the plate. That differs from the traditional "cube" strike zone umpires use.
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Paul Skenes
, the Pittsburgh Pirates star starting his second straight All-Star Game for the National League, voiced skepticism about pitchers challenging calls: "Pitchers think everything is a strike. We should not be the ones that are challenging it."
Some veterans, however, support the tech. Dodgers legend
Clayton Kershaw
said he's comfortable with the system after experiencing it during rehab starts. "Aaron Judge and Jose Altuve should have different sized boxes," Kershaw noted, emphasizing the fairness of customized strike zones.
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In spring training tests, the ABS system showed balanced success rates: batters won 50% of their 596 challenges, while defenses were successful 54% of the time — with catchers winning 56% of appeals and pitchers just 41%.
Hall of Famer Joe Torre, serving as an honorary AL coach, supports ABS. Torre reflected on missed calls that benefited his Yankees, including a pivotal 1998 World Series moment when Tino Martinez hit a grand slam after a questionable ball call. Torre also brought up Derek Jeter's infamous 1996 ALCS home run, helped by a fan.
"You couldn't ignore it with all the technology out there," Torre said of ABS. As the league moves forward with high-tech accuracy, Tuesday's All-Star Game could be a glimpse into the future of officiating.