MLB x Hawk-Eye x TrackMan (ABS)
The machine calls the pitch. The umpire announces it.
From Opening Day 2026, all 30 MLB franchises run the Automated Ball-Strike system in production. Hawk-Eye optical cameras and TrackMan Doppler radar determine pitch location in approximately 50 milliseconds. Each player's strike zone is individually calibrated. The home plate umpire wears an earpiece and announces what the system determines. Challenge-based format: two challenges per team per game, retained if successful.
Por qué importa
The first full-scale AI officiating deployment in a major American professional sport, after six years of testing. Pitch framing loses operational value. In a challenge system, knowing when to challenge becomes the new tactical resource. In 2025 Triple-A trials, 51% of challenges overturned the human call. Who is accountable when the system produces a consequential error has no documented answer.
Stack tecnológico