Independent team to use computerized video system to call balls and strikes

Fans calling for robot umpires and computerized strike zones in baseball should pay close attention to next Tuesday and Wednesday’s independent league games hosted by the San Rafael Pacifics.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle,  the Pitch F/X system, which was produced by Fremont-based Sportvision Inc, will be in place for both games and will be used to determine all balls and strikes calls. 

Former major leaguer and current MLB Network analyst Eric Byrnes will serve as the “strike zone umpire” for both games. Byrnes has long been a proponent for an automated strike zone, so his involvement comes as no surprise. In basic terms, his role will be to oversee the computer system and relay all balls and strikes calls to the players and fans.

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The games are being billed as the first in professional baseball history in which a human won’t call balls and strikes. They could also serve as a glimpse into baseball’s future should such measures ever gain enough traction within the sport.

Pacifics assistant GM Vinnie Longo said games with an automated strike zone wouldn’t cost umpires their jobs because an on-site review official would be necessary.

“This is an incredible opportunity for baseball as a whole,” Longo said.

It will be very interesting. That much is guaranteed.

Of course, there’s more to this than simply experimenting with possible new measures. Byrnes, who played two games for the Pacifics last season to raise money for the Pat Tillman Foundation, will again be making donations to the Foundation. Though this time it will be based on his “umpiring” duties, with $100 being donated for every walk and strikeout, and $10,000 if he ejects a player or manager for arguing balls and strikes.

As we all know, the system’s ultimate purpose would be to create a consistent strike zone and therefore eliminate such arguments, but obviously in this instance arguments will be encouraged.

To put it mildly, this has all the makings to be everything from groundbreaking to downright bizarre, but at least there’s also a guarantee that a worthy cause will benefit. 

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813