logo
MLB All-Star Game is leveling up its intrigue by unveiling automated strike zone

MLB All-Star Game is leveling up its intrigue by unveiling automated strike zone

Major League Baseball tends to come up short on planning ahead. While the Oakland A's franchise caught fire, the higher-ups just sat back and watched it burn. As ballgames crept toward midnight, it took years to institute the simple rules that changed everything.
Now, all of a sudden, we will have an automatic strike zone in the game next season. That's what we're told, anyway, and the lead-up is about as informative as the trailer for 'Alien.' You don't have the slightest idea what's coming.
It won't be robots in umpires' clothing, in case you've been away. Tuesday's All-Star Game will feature the Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS), a clever way of retaining the umpires but allowing pitchers, hitters and catchers to challenge — and ideally reverse — a bad call.
Teams are allowed two challenges per game, but if they are correct, they're allowed to keep it. Managers have no say in the matter. The challenge must come quickly, and the digital response will be immediate. Video boards will allow fans to view the result at the same time as the teams.
It really does sound quite reasonable, but why keep it under wraps? Just when everyone looked forward to ABS throughout this year's spring training, only 13 ballparks had the technology installed and many players got only a fleeting glimpse. Now it emerges from secrecy, in the All-Star Game, apparently destined for full-time use in 2026.
A great number of players have experienced ABS, which has been used extensively in the minor leagues, but that's a far cry from digital responses deciding a Giants-Dodgers game in September — or the seventh game of a World Series riding on somebody's challenge.
As we prepare to learn on the fly, a few things to keep in mind:
• A lot of All-Stars get only one or two at-bats in the game, and it's a pretty big deal, with families and friends glued to the action. If they're called out on strikes by a terrible call in the third inning, they're bound to challenge. When the games start for real, it will be imperative to back off all such notions until the late innings, when games are in the balance.
(Quick note on better times: Willie Mays came to the plate at least four times in 15 different All-Star Games. When the National League rallied for two runs in the 10th inning to win the 1961 game at Candlestick Park, the key figures in that rally were Mays, Henry Aaron, Frank Robinson and Roberto Clemente.)
• Fun to think about, especially for those who deeply resent incompetent umpiring: A hitter draws a walk on four straight challenges — strikes reviewed as balls — because the blown calls were just that obvious.
• Catchers are understandably upset about losing the art of 'framing' — turning errant pitches into strikes with a flick of the glove — but they can frame to their hearts' content if the opposing team is out of challenges.
• Still, the whole idea behind the new wave of catching — dropping to one knee, instead of the traditional squat — is to make it easier to 'frame' pitches near the dirt. That's about to become a lost art. At the very least, with a runner on third in a crucial situation, catchers will get off that knee so they'll have a better chance to block a bouncing wild pitch with the body (instead of reaching out like an infielder for an improbable backhand stab).
• In a farewell to nuance, umpires won't have the authority to offer a slightly wider strike zone to masters of control (think Greg Maddux or Tarik Skubal), or tightening it for pitchers whose lack of control becomes an annoyance.
• Handy tip for hitters certain that 'strike three' was a ball: No need to fly into a rage and get yourself ejected by an overly sensitive ump. Simply tap your helmet: the designated request for a challenge. You just might get lucky.
Looking elsewhere
• When the Giants drafted outfielder Dakota Jordan out of Mississippi State last year, scouting reports likened his tools to Bo Jackson's: power, speed, explosiveness and a sense he could do just about anything. Assigned to begin his pro career with the Class A San Jose Giants, Jordan was hitting .303 heading into the weekend with 100 hits, nine homers, 67 RBIs and 27 stolen bases (caught just four times) in 78 games, including a 453-foot grand slam. Definitely a prospect worth following.
• Snapshot from the career of pitcher Bobby Jenks, who tragically died of cancer at 44 this month: Breaking in with the White Sox in 2005, he found himself closing ballgames down the stretch and right through a World Series title. As the final two outs went down in Houston, Jenks got two great plays from his shortstop: diving headlong into the stands to catch a foul ball, then charging a slow hopper over the mound to make a bullet throw. That man was Juan Uribe, known around here as the Giants' third baseman on the 2010 champs.
• Something to remember through the endless procession of batters hit on the hand: It's not always the pitcher's fault. Self-preservation is a foreign language to hitters who stand close to the plate, then dive into a pitch that might be only inches off the strike zone. 'I don't think they're even concerned about it,' Texas manager Bruce Bochy told reporters. 'There's no fear. And I mean, fully committing and going right into the pitch. Some guys just have a hard time turning out of the way.'
• It's always fun to hear national writers compare big-league ballparks, with Oracle always ranked among the best. Except there's no longer a debate, not if you've seen those astonishingly gorgeous drone shots on the Giants' telecasts. The Bay, the marina, the Golden Gate Bridge, the stadium itself from angles you've never seen before — no other park comes close.
• With the WNBA All-Star Game coming up on July 19, people wondered how Caitlin Clark would get along with coach Cheryl Reeve (assigned to Clark's team), who helped keep her off the U.S. Olympic team and always seems ready for a catty dismissal. They mused about Clark selecting Angel Reese as the players' draft went down, perhaps to thaw a simmering but lively rivalry.
No chance. Clark suggested the teams trade coaches, which was nice for opposing captain Napheese Collier (coached by Reeve on the Minnesota Lynx) and for Clark's warm relationship with Sandy Brondello. And as the draft went down, Clark clearly wanted no part of Reese.
Quite likely, the feeling was mutual. But Reese has gone out of her way to discount the 'I hate Caitlin' chatter. She seems just a bit resentful of Clark's runaway popularity.
A couple of NBA comparisons come to mind: Moses Malone, like Reese, was the world's greatest rebounder. Grinding out the dirty work, he didn't get nearly the attention of his Philadelphia 76ers teammate, Julius Erving, who staged mind-blowing shows with his dunks and drives in the early '80s. And when Larry Bird and Magic Johnson broke into the NBA, 'we hated each other at the beginning,' Magic said, 'because we wanted to beat the other guy so badly. Eventually, as everyone knows, we became very close friends.'
Maybe I'm naïve, but in time, I can see Clark and Reese sharing some smiles and laughter. That would be just as compelling as a feud.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Boston closer Aroldis Chapman thinks he'll return soon after back spasm forces him out
Boston closer Aroldis Chapman thinks he'll return soon after back spasm forces him out

Yahoo

time28 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Boston closer Aroldis Chapman thinks he'll return soon after back spasm forces him out

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman thinks he'll be able to pitch in a couple of days after walking off the mound with a back spasm in the eighth inning of Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. 'It's just a spasm. It should be gone in a couple of days,' he said through a team translator after the Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 for a series victory. In to face the top of the Dodgers' order, his velocity was noticeably down to mid-90 mph on his fastball instead of the high 90s to low 100s. Manager Alex Cora and a trainer came out to the mound to visit him after Shohei Ohtani flew out to the left-field warning track. Jordan Hicks entered and got out of a two-on, one-out mess when Teoscar Hernández lined to second and Ceddanne Rafaela dove to the bag, beating Hyeseong Kim for double play. Hicks pitched the ninth for his second save. 'Tight back. He should be OK,' Cora said of Chapman. Both Chapman and Cora said they didn't think there would be a trip to the injured list. 'I was definitely determined to stay out there, work through it,' Chapman said. 'Alex thought it would be better, smarter that we just 'call it' to avoid anything down the line.' The 37-year-old Chapman is having one of his better seasons in the majors with 18 saves and a 1.30 ERA, with much better control. He's walked just 11 in 41 1/3 innings. In early July he earned his 350th career save and said he'd like to reach 400. ___ AP MLB:

Alex Cora says ESPNers used to start fake MLB trade rumors: ‘People made s–t up'
Alex Cora says ESPNers used to start fake MLB trade rumors: ‘People made s–t up'

New York Post

time29 minutes ago

  • New York Post

Alex Cora says ESPNers used to start fake MLB trade rumors: ‘People made s–t up'

Red Sox manager Alex Cora had some advice for his players in trying to navigate the MLB trade deadline rumor mill, while also seemingly criticizing one network's talent over their coverage. While addressing a question about what he tells his guys about getting through the deadline – which comes this Thursday at 6 p.m. EST – Cora explained that he told his players, essentially, not to believe everything they hear. 'Don't read too much,' Cora told reporters on Sunday about what he tells his squad. 'I can tell them stories about ESPN in the green room, how people made s–t up – you know, trades. And I can tell them that don't believe everything that is said, you know? The MLB trade deadline is quickly approaching and speculation over potential deals is at its peak as fans and media try to decipher what players and teams will make splashes before the deadline. The Red Sox manager said that he does understand why it's such a big topic because 'that's what rules the world.' 'You get into any social platform, and if you're looking for baseball, then your feed is going to be full of baseball stories, right? And there's a lot of people that are very responsible with their trades, rumors and their contacts. Others, they're not. So just block it,' he continued before the Red Sox beat the Dodgers 4-3 at Fenway Park. Red Sox manager Alex Cora AP Cora was asked to clarify his comments and whether people at ESPN, where the Red Sox manager had worked as a baseball analyst for four years, did make up fake trade rumors. 'I got stories, man. I don't wanna bury people,' Cora replied. Cora played 14 seasons in the majors, including parts of two seasons with the Mets, and worked as an analyst for ESPN's baseball coverage after his playing days came to an end. He left the media to become a bench coach with the Astros in 2017, kicking off his rise through the baseball coaching ranks — winning the 2018 World Series with Boston.

Ryan McMahon off to fast start with Yankees: `First impressions are usually pretty big'
Ryan McMahon off to fast start with Yankees: `First impressions are usually pretty big'

Fox Sports

time29 minutes ago

  • Fox Sports

Ryan McMahon off to fast start with Yankees: `First impressions are usually pretty big'

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Two games into his New York Yankees career, Ryan McMahon has fans talking. And in this case, that's a positive. 'First impressions are usually pretty big,' he said Sunday after sparking a comeback with a tying, two-run double and some dazzling defense in a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies that stopped a three-game losing streak. Acquired on Friday from Colorado, the 2024 All-Star went 1 for 3 and made a nifty backhand stop in his pinstriped debut Saturday, a 9-4 defeat. After the Phillies went ahead 2-0 Sunday against Carlos Rodon on second-inning homers by Nick Castellanos and rookie Otto Kemp, McMahon grounded a Zack Wheeler curveball into the right-field corner in the bottom half. 'He looks great so far. Hopefully he continues it," Yankees closer Devin Williams said. "I've obviously played against him in the past and he was a good player and I'm happy to have him here.' McMahon also singled and was hit by a pitch. He's reached base five times in two games with the Yankees. His glove work has been even more impressive. McMahon easily fielded J.T. Realmuto's 104.3 mph grounder in the second, jumped to grab Bryce Harper's looper leading off the fourth, then ranged to his glove side for a fifth-inning grounder with two out, slid and spun and then threw out speedy Trea Turner at first. 'Three big plays that stood out to me,' Rodón said. 'It's a whirlwind for a guy that gets traded and has to figure things out. So it's a pleasure to have him.' McMahon made 129 errors over six minor league seasons. He credited his defense to former Rockies teammates Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story and DJ LeMahieu, who have combined for 13 All-Star selections and 14 Gold Gloves. 'When you have those three guys and you're 20 years old and in your first big league camp, you're going to learn a lot if you just shut up and watch and pay attention,' McMahon said. McMahon arrived in the Bronx on Friday night following his trade from the Rockies, the team that drafted him in 2013. He took only one suitcase of clothing and his gear, and is staying in a hotel through the homestand. His wife Natalie and 1 1/2-year-old daughter Austyn Brooke remained behind. 'We'll figure that out, man,' he said. 'My wife, she's a rock star. She's awesome. She'll let me get settled a little bit and then they'll probably come out next homestand.' Yankees players, led by captain Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole and Giancarlo Stanton, have been working at getting to know McMahon. 'Real easy to be around. I kind of sat with him a little bit today in the locker room, just kind of shooting it a little with him and he feels, to me, he feels comfortable,' said manager Aaron Boone, a third baseman obtained by the Yankees from Cincinnati at the 2003 trade deadline. 'It's allowing them space, allowing them to be themselves but also trying to really get to know them a little bit and making them immediately feel part of it,' Boone said. Austin Wells hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly and Trent Grisham an RBI single against Wheeler (9-4), who tied his career high with three hit batters — including two in a row ahead of the double by McMahon, who himself was hit by a pitch in the sixth. A smile on his face, McMahon left the clubhouse to address some of the logistics of the trade. 'I've got a lot of calls to make today, that's for sure,' he said. ___ AP MLB: recommended Item 1 of 3

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store