Another day, another ejection for Yankees manager Aaron Boone. At this point, it’s become part of the routine. Boone storming out of the dugout, jawing with the umpire, and getting tossed. But you shouldn’t take it as just about theatrics or hot-headedness. It’s more about a manager who refuses to let his players get steamrolled by questionable calls, no matter the cost.

Boone is following the classic manager’s playbook!

And once again, during the Yankees’ clash with the Mariners, Boone made it clear: if his team is getting jobbed, he’s going to speak up. However, the bigger problem lies elsewhere. It is about MLB continues to ignore a glaring issue that’s impacting games night after night: the umpiring.

Well, the incident happened in the ninth-inning showdown. The Yankees were going 1-1 on a throwing error, with Anthony Volpe standing on second and one out. But the momentum took a different turn when Jasson Dominguez was called out on strikes on a 1-2 fastball from Seattle closer Andres Munoz. A pitch that appeared to dip below the zone.

Here comes the boss! Rushing out of the Yankees’ dugout in defense of Dominguez, Aaron Boone made his presence felt on Tuesday night.

While Dominguez voiced his frustration, Boone stormed in with sharp words for plate umpire and crew chief Mark Wegner. Well, you know what would follow next. Yes, Boone was swiftly tossed, his second ejection of the season. But not before posing the great question of MLB’s umpiring quality.

Just a few weeks ago, Boone got into a tussle with the umpire after ruling a Aaron Judge home run as a foul ball. “It was a fair ball,” Judge told reporters after the game. But if you check both the ejections, Boone might not be blamed. And here comes the long-pending demand for umpiring improvement in MLB.

Well, in 2024, umpires achieved an average accuracy rate of approximately 94% in calling balls and strikes, according to data from UmpScorecards. While this marks an improvement from around 90% in 2015, the blown calls are enough to change the game’s momentum. So, this recent case might just be another argument to implement the ABS.

Boone is reflecting the need for a robo-umpire

Well, baseball fans love to live with nostalgia. Over the last 150 years, America’s favorite pastime has prided itself on continuity. Every change, from lowering the pitcher’s mound in 1968 to implementing instant replay in 2014, caused debate between purists and reformers. Now, the game faces perhaps its most radical potential transformation yet: the replacement of human home plate umpires with automated strike zone systems.

For starters, ABS aims to complement rather than fully replace umpires. It blends human judgment with machine precision in a hybrid format designed to enhance accuracy without erasing the game’s human element. Using Hawk-Eye tracking technology, every pitch could be analyzed in real time. So, the chance of blown-up calls will surely get reduced. It is also planned that teams will be allowed two challenges per game. So, that would ensure good transparency, rather than getting into a Boone mode on the field.

But, typical of baseball, implementing new changes comes with barriers. Critics warn that automating balls and strikes could erode the human touch that gives baseball its character. They are more into the traditional way of how the game is played and consider blown-up calls as part of the job. So, it’s a debate between enhancing the game’s accuracy and altering the rhythm and spontaneity of the sport.

So, we can expect someone like Boone, who is vocal against the umpiring issue, to take a stand for ABS. Just when MLB is targeting global expansion of baseball, accuracy should be ensured.