All Hail Our Robot Umpire Overlords

Published on 26-Oct-2016 by Raoul Duke

MLB    MLB Daily Opinion

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All Hail Our Robot Umpire Overlords

Excuse me, MLB. May we have a word?

It's time. The day of the machines has come.

Embrace them.

Game 1 of this historic World Series between the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians provided yet another example of why the strike zone needs to be automated and not subject to human error or judgment.

The regulation of the strike zone is the single most important part of every single MLB game. The fact that balls and strikes are subject to the whims of a fallible human being is inherently wrong.

The problem is consistency, or lack there of. There are frequently different strikes zones for each team.

This is what happened in Game 1:

  • Indians' starter Corey Kluber, whose movement on his pitches was remarkable, was the beneficiary of a generous strike zone, particularly on the inside part of the plate.
  • Meanwhile, the Cubs' Jon Lester was getting squeezed by home plate umpire Larry Vanover right from the beginning, causing him much consternation.

This narrowing of the strike zone contributed to two walks in the first inning, and subsequently, two runs crossed the plate. The game was essentially over right there.

This is not to suggest that the Cubs would've beaten the Indians with a different strike zone. Kluber is really good and was on his game. Not to mention the Tribe's bullpen, featuring the still disgusting Andrew Miller.

Again, this is one of many examples that's provided pretty much every game. Some will argue that the human element adds to the charm of baseball, but there's plenty of charm to go around.

We have the technology. It's silly not to use it.

Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto.