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Dateline: Goodyear, Arizona
The Robot Umpire may be next. Major League Baseball will use the Automatic Ball Strike system (ABS) with the ability to challenge ball and strike calls.
It has already had an effect on a couple of Reds' games.
Only the catcher, pitcher and batter are permitted to challenge a call by tapping their hat or helmet and announcing the challenge. The bench is not permitted to influence the challenge. The challenges must be made immediately or after the resolution of a play such as a stolen base or an appeal of a checked swing.
Teams are allowed two unsuccessful challenges per game and get one in extra innings if they run out.
Terry Francona is scheming to use the rule to the Reds' advantage but the strategy is being developed on the fly, with issues coming up during play this season.
It the game against Milwaukee on Saturday a 9-7 Reds' win, the appeal allowed the Reds to score in a big inning and unsuccessful challenges early hand cuffed the Brewers.
In the top of the first inning, Brewers catcher, Gary Sanchez, successfully challenged a ball call to Elly De La Cruz on an 0-1 pitch. His next challenge in the same inning on the first pitch to Sal Stewart was not successful, leaving the Brewers with one left. Brice Turang challenged a strike call that was also confirmed by the system. That left Milwaukee with no challenges the remainder of the game.
On the flip side, Stewart, challenged a strike call on a 2-1 pitch. The strike was overturned, instead of a 2-2 count, it went to 3-1.
Stewart singled.
Later in the inning with two out and two on, Dane Myers was called out on strikes but challenged and won it. He hit a two-run double and later scored on Will Banfield's double. That is three runs that would not have scored had not the challenge rule been in place.
There are times when a mere change in counts can have huge effects.
"We were talking about this in the meeting. If you do it early with nobody on. You better be 100 percent," Terry Francona said. "You got to keep one for later because that could be game changing. That doesn't mean they are always going to be game changing but you want to be sure, you still have a chance, or waste it because you got emotional and use it for personal reasons."
"We're still seven games into the spring. It will be an overall strategy. We'll work through that.
Sal Stewart has challenged twice and got the calls overturned. He is showing such a good eye for a rookie.
"I don't think Sal even knows he's a rookie. He's so confident, plus he's done it. Sal is a very advanced young hitter. There is no getting around that."
"Those guys from Triple A are really good. (PJ) Higgins is tremendous. They practice that. We're working out ways to put something in the cage for the hitters and the catchers can use it just to practice because it is a strategy."
Francona doesn't believe bench agitation of the umpires will dissapear.
"While you have your challenge it will cut down the chatter (arguing about balls and strikes) because the umpire is just going to look at you and say "challenge". Once you're out of challenges, no."
The timing will be the crucial element to the challenge system.
"Umpires are not going to let a challenge take too long. The other day a kid from the other team thought it was ball for and started to first base. They wouldn't let him challenge. I mean he went to his helmet right away. That's the point of the challenge. The kid wasn't looking for help from the dugout. I asked the umpire the other day.A ball gets away from our catcher he has to go after it. If he calls it a strike, can he challenge. The ump said no. I told him that's kind of stupid. He said I know. These are the kind of things we have to work through. There are some things that will have to be cleaned up. We'll just play and adjust as we need to."
The rule is so new. It may not be fully understood by either the players or the umpire.
From the release from MLB about the timing of challenges.
• Challenges must be made immediately after the umpire’s call or
after the resolution of an intermittent play (e.g., stolen base
attempt, appeal of a potential check swing)
• Umpires may deny Challenges that are not requested immediately
or those that are prompted by coaches / teammates.
If that is the case the umpire should allow a challenge after a catcher retrieves a ball that gets away.
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