Robot umpire calls baseball game

July 14, 2019 11:11 AM

The independent Atlantic League became the first American professional baseball league to let a computer call balls and strikes on Wednesday at its all-star game. "About 45 minutes before first pitch, the public address announcer directed fans to look up at the black screen hanging off the face of the upper level behind the plate and joked that they could blame the computer for any disagreements over calls."--ESPN
posted by sardonyx (15 comments total)

I highly recommend that people read Ron Luciano and his description of when people tried to do this in the 1970s.
posted by Melismata at 11:13 AM on July 14, 2019

This is the same set of trial rules that allowed Tony Thomas to steal first, currently being discussed here: Batter Steals First, Making Baseball History.
posted by zamboni at 12:39 PM on July 14, 2019 [1 favorite]

Wait till you get VAR. You are going to fricking love it.
posted by biffa at 1:09 PM on July 14, 2019 [3 favorites]

VAR is the Worst, Baseball, the Worst.
posted by GenjiandProust at 1:28 PM on July 14, 2019

I look forward to new uniforms that truck compost vision systems into thinking that players have higher knees than they actually do.
posted by kaibutsu at 1:44 PM on July 14, 2019 [7 favorites]

Wait till you get VAR. You are going to fricking love it.

The MLB has had “VAR” for years. It’s actually better because the boys/girls back in Chelsea just make the calls themselves instead of just informing the ump they should take another look. Expecting someone like Angel Hernandez to run over to a TV and reverse one of his shit calls after seeing how bad he fucked up would be an exercise in futility.
posted by sideshow at 1:51 PM on July 14, 2019 [2 favorites]

truck compost vision systems

Um wha?
posted by Hicksu at 2:23 PM on July 14, 2019 [3 favorites]

I think that was “trick computer” being badly autocorrected.
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 2:30 PM on July 14, 2019 [3 favorites]

[i kinda love the original, though]
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 2:31 PM on July 14, 2019 [4 favorites]

I look forward to this program taking its place as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in due course.
posted by monotreme at 4:03 PM on July 14, 2019 [1 favorite]

There was a Twilight Zone episode about this... wait, he was a robot pitcher and they gave him a human heart to get around the regs. Never mind, carry on.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 5:20 PM on July 14, 2019 [1 favorite]

"I look forward to new uniforms that truck compost vision systems into thinking that players have higher knees than they actually do."

wait til you see the padres dazzle camo outfits
posted by klangklangston at 10:08 PM on July 14, 2019 [3 favorites]

MLB uniforms are already highly regulated; that sort of thing is going to fly for no more than a single game.
posted by Mitheral at 5:35 PM on July 15, 2019

Sounds like a future episode of Against the Rules, a really interesting podcast about the role of the referee in modern life. I listened to the first season while I was on holidays, and it was thought provoking.
posted by nubs at 7:42 AM on July 16, 2019

guys, the comment was perfectly clear. We need to load compost vision systems into trucks, and deposit them in thinking, in circumstances where the umpires think that players have high knees.

(yeah, 'trick computer' is what was meant. stupid autocorrect.)
posted by kaibutsu at 11:33 AM on July 16, 2019 [1 favorite]