We’ve all seen it.
A game where there was a close play and instant replay showed that the umpire got it wrong? Whether you saw it on TV or live at the game, it seems more prevalant nowadays than ever. Maybe because we’re paying closer attention. In the past week alone, I’ve seen 2 homeruns called doubles (by the umpires), two close plays at first base where each runner was called out and again, instant replay showed them as safe.
I could go on but you get the idea. I like the human element of the game but clearly something has to be done. A 5th umpire in a booth with access to today’s technology, maybe a challenge system like the NFL has with specific criteria on possible challenge situations.
Should balls and strikes be subject?…probably not - it would slow down the game too much and the cost to implement the technology across the league would be enormous and in all likelihood passed on to the already overburdened fans. And if we’re being honest about it, the arguments at the plate over a close pitch are an integral part of the game and sometimes damned entertaining!
How about close plays on the basepaths or even home plate? - Again even the replays we have today aren’t 100% definitive. The best judge of a play’s outcome is the guy standing directly over it and not the person looking at a monitor with 8 different camera angles to view.
The most obvious application I can envision is to judge homeruns, fair or foul. This is the one case where the umpire can’t be on top of the play and becomes a spectator like the rest of us. Even the closest umpire is sometimes a couple hundred feet away from the ball as it passes the foul poles or richochettes off the back wall of the park (above the yellow line or below it???).
Then, if an umpire makes a call he’s not 100% comfortable with, he can call in his crew as is the case now and if they still can’t get on the same page, give a shout up to the 5th umpire in the booth who can end the discussion with a thumbs up or thumbs down. The entire ball park has access to instant replay, usually on a gigantic board somewhere in the outfield, why not take advantage of it? When and if an ump makes a “less than correct” call, he doesn’t have to endure the rest of the game knowing he muffed it and could do nothing about it.
instant replay
umpire
