All articles tagged with #umpires
At the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, curling officiating is under heightened scrutiny as unofficial umpires monitor calls more closely, including the removal of a British men’s team stone for an alleged violation that also irked Canada, signaling ongoing tensions over officiating in Olympic curling.
World Curling has pulled back from its intensified Olympic match surveillance after a period of controversy, briefly deploying umpires who were later withdrawn as penalties for alleged violations—an incident involving the British men’s team, with earlier penalties affecting Canada—highlighting a widening debate over how strictly Olympic curling should be monitored.
MLB will deploy the Automated Balls and Strikes (ABS) system this season, keeping a human plate umpire but enabling rapid challenges: each team gets two challenges per game, with an additional challenge in extra innings; if a challenge overturns a call, the result stands and challenges don’t accumulate. ABS reviews take precedence over other reviews on overlapping plays. The system uses a defined strike zone (the K zone) and includes safeguards against cheating. Catchers, pitchers, and fans will see changes in strategy and viewing as calls are reviewed more often.
After losing their playoff series to the Cubs, Padres players and coaches engaged in a heated confrontation with umpires, sparked by a controversial call in the ninth inning that contributed to their elimination and highlighted tensions following their season-ending loss.
MLB is testing the Automated Ball-Strike System at the 2025 All-Star Game as a step towards implementing it across the league by 2026, aiming to improve call accuracy while preserving umpire roles, and rejecting the term 'robot umpires.'
Major League Baseball plans to test an automated ball-strike challenge system during the 2025 spring training, aiming for potential regular-season use by 2026. The system, which has been trialed in the minors, will allow teams two challenges per game, retaining them if correct. Commissioner Rob Manfred emphasized the importance of feedback from both clubs and players. The implementation is also part of ongoing negotiations with major league umpires, whose contract recently expired.
MLB is expanding the use of an automated ball-strike (ABS) system, known as "robo umps," to all Triple-A games starting June 25, with potential future implementation in the majors. The ABS system uses Hawk-Eye camera technology to tailor the strike zone to each hitter, aiming to improve accuracy and fairness. The challenge system allows players to contest umpire calls, with the ABS system making the final decision. Full implementation in MLB is not expected until at least 2026.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred discusses the potential implementation of an automated strike zone, favoring a challenge system over full-time use due to concerns about unintended consequences, such as the impact on catchers' framing skills and overall game dynamics. Players have shown a preference for the challenge system, and the league is still gathering information and considering various factors before making a final decision.
Bill Miller has been named the crew chief for the upcoming World Series between the Texas Rangers and the Arizona Diamondbacks. He will be joined by five first-time World Series umpires, including Alfonso Márquez. Miller and Márquez have each worked four previous World Series. The umpire crew for the first game will consist of Márquez at first base, D.J. Reyburn behind the plate, David Rackley at second, Brian Knight at third, Vic Carapazza in left field, and Miller in right field. Quinn Wolcott will serve as the reserve umpire for the opener and will call balls and strikes for Game 2.
The Baseball Hall of Fame has announced the eight nominees for the 2024 Era Committee, which focuses on managers, executives, and umpires whose primary contributions to the game have come since 1980. The nominees include Cito Gaston, Davey Johnson, Jim Leyland, Ed Montague, Hank Peters, Lou Piniella, Joe West, and Bill White. Nominees need 12 out of 16 votes to be inducted, and the voting will take place during December's Winter Meetings.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum has announced the eight-person ballot for the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee for Managers/Executives/Umpires for Hall of Fame election for the Class of 2024. The ballot includes four managers, two executives, and two umpires whose primary contributions to the game came since 1980. The candidates include Cito Gaston, Davey Johnson, Jim Leyland, Ed Montague, Hank Peters, Lou Piniella, Joe West, and Bill White. The results of the vote will be announced on December 3, 2023, and any candidate receiving votes on 75 percent of the ballots will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 21, 2024.
Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes called for the implementation of robot umpires in Major League Baseball after a missed call by plate umpire Bill Miller during a game against the Atlanta Braves. Hayes expressed his frustration on social media, stating that some umpires don't care about accountability. MLB has not responded to Hayes' request.
Cincinnati Reds' rookie Elly De La Cruz faced controversy during a game when umpires questioned the legality of a small white plastic knob on the bottom of his bat. After reviewing the issue with the league office, De La Cruz was allowed to put the knob back on his bat for his second at-bat in the third inning. He went on to hit a home run, helping the Reds secure a 9-2 victory over the Washington Nationals. The knob, which is an empty plastic cover, is something De La Cruz used in spring training and finds more comfortable. The Cleveland Guardians will face the Reds, including De La Cruz, in August.
Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy criticized the umpires and MLB replay officials after a controversial call led to their loss against the Chicago White Sox. The umpires awarded the White Sox the go-ahead run after a review, claiming that Texas catcher Jonah Heim had illegally blocked the plate. Bochy called the call "embarrassing" and "one of the worst calls I've ever seen." Despite the loss, the Rangers remain in first place in the American League West.
MLB umpires were criticized by the Bally Sports Southwest broadcast booth after a botched call cost the Texas Rangers their game against the Chicago White Sox. The call was reversed after the White Sox challenged it, despite replays showing the catcher sidestepping to give the runner space to slide. The Rangers manager was ejected for arguing over the ruling of the review.