MLB UMPS TO GET A LITTLE “HELP” ON CALLS

This season, a new video system will be used in all 30 Major League Baseball parks to monitor umpires’ pitch calls. According to the New York Times, a new system called Zone Evaluation will be used to record a pitch’s position in flight from a pitcher’s hand to a catcher’s mitt 20 times, while also recording the umpire’s call of the pitch. Zone Evaluation will replace the QuesTec system, which had been used since 2001 in about one-third of MLB ballparks.


Baseball’s vice president for umpiring, Mike Port, told The Times, “It’s an upgrade from where we were. The umpires don’t want to miss a pitch any more than a batter wants to strike out.” Port added that the World Umpires Association union has approved the change.