Wednesday night in York, Pennsylvania, a computerized radar system made a call on balls and strikes during a live game for the first time in pro baseball history.
The Atlantic League, an independent pro baseball league, debuted the ABS, or automated ball-strike system. The league is partnered with Major League Baseball to test the Doppler radar system, among other things that could lead to equipment or rule changes.
The Doppler radar is connected to a laptop in the press box, where a baseball official watches the screen for ball-strike calls and then relays that call back to the home plate umpire through an earpiece.
ABS is supposed to create a consistent strike zone both for batters and pitchers and is expected to speed up the pace of play as managers and batters will no longer need to argue balls and strikes.
