Richie Garcia is worried about how robot referees might affect the role of human umpires.
This season, Major League Baseball rolled out an automated ball-strike system during regular games, kicking off with the Yankees’ game on Wednesday night in San Francisco. This system allows teams to challenge strike zone decisions using data from 12 Hawkeye cameras.
Garcia, who umpired in the major leagues from 1975 to 1999, expressed his discontent, saying, “It’s kind of embarrassing, really. No one enjoys being humiliated in front of a huge crowd.” He further criticized the league, saying they essentially don’t trust umpires, opting for a system managed by someone who may not even have a strong grasp of baseball, despite possibly having a Ph.D. in physics.
He faced backlash during the 1998 World Series for a controversial no-call on a 2-2 pitch from San Diego’s Mark Langston to Tino Martinez of the Yankees. Interestingly, Martinez hit a game-tying grand slam on his next at-bat, helping lead New York to a four-game win streak.
Refereeing Continues to Improve
Debates over calls are always present, but last year marked a peak in officiating accuracy. Yet, the technology isn’t foolproof.
In the past season, umpires made 368,898 regular-season calls, averaging about 152 pitches per game. Major League Baseball reported an accuracy rate of 92.83%, which is interesting but also revealed an average of 10.88 missed calls per game—a record high. In contrast, the missed calls were significantly higher, at 16.58 per game in 2016, when accuracy was lower at 89.31%.
“Being 60 and seeing the younger crowd really embrace this tech makes me think they crave certainty in what’s a ball or a strike,” noted Ted Barrett, who was an umpire from 1994 to 2022.
The automated ball-strike system (ABS) allows each team two challenges per game, and if they win, they keep their challenges. Once teams run out, they receive another challenge for each extra inning played.
Sam Holbrook, an MLB umpire from 1996 to 2022, emphasized, “You want to get everything right, but we’re human, and that’s just not doable. Still, this could really help correct poor calls and highlight how good umpires can be.”
A Quarter Century of Electronic Evaluation
In 2001, MLB implemented a Questec system in select ballparks, which evolved into a league-wide zone rating in 2009 as part of the PITCHf/x system. Then, in 2017, TrackMan’s Doppler radar became part of MLB Statcast.
Since 2009, umpires have been provided with a performance rating for each game, and since 2014, video reviews have caused changes in these evaluations.
Garcia highlighted the mental toll it takes to be an umpire, admitting, “You know immediately when you mess up.” He added that fortunately, in past instances of mistakes, they haven’t cost a team a game or a playoff spot. Umpires try to learn from negative experiences; it’s challenging when mistakes happen during pivotal moments.
In the ABS, a strike is defined as when the ball crosses the plate within a specific area, differing from the traditional cube strike zone described in the rulebook. This distinction is vital, as it recalibrates how umpires’ decisions are measured.
Barrett remarked, “Calls will align with what ABS identifies, for better or worse, because performance ratings are based on that system.”
2026 Spring Training Test Results
In recent spring training, Philadelphia had the best challenge success rate at 61%, while the Chicago Cubs followed closely at 60%. Other teams like Boston and Seattle matched at 54%, but Texas and Arizona lagged significantly at 33% each, with Kansas City at 34%.
St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Cleveland were the leaders in challenge success rate, while the Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore struggled behind them.
Batters won 46% of the 887 challenges, while defenses triumphed in 60% of the 1,020 challenges. The Yankees topped overall wins with 54 challenges, contrasting with teams like Arizona and the Mets, which won only 20.
Willson Contreras from Boston had seven attempts as a batter, achieving 6 out of 7 successful challenges. Philadelphia’s Christian Cairo also stood out, maintaining a 100% success in four innings.
Among catchers, notable performances included St. Louis’ Pedro Pagés, who excelled with 8 hits for 8 at-bats, followed by Cincinnati’s PJ Higgins with 7 for 7, and Milwaukee’s Jefferson Kero with 6 for 6. On the other hand, some players like Edgar Kelo of the Chicago White Sox and Payton Henry of the Yankees faced rough patches in their attempts.
