Strike one? Or ball one? For over a century, that call rested on the umpire’s judgment. Now, a machine is making the decision, all in the hopes of limiting bad calls, doing away with bias, and all-in-all, making for a fairer game. However, some of baseball’s biggest stars, like Yu Darvish, aren’t so sure.

In an interview, Yu Darvish expressed his opinion on the MLB’s introduction of the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system, a controversial new tactic MLB is experimenting with to influence gameplay for competitive fairness. Darvish’s revealing comments are igniting debate among the baseball community about the fairness and utility of the system.

Darvish’s first shot at the ABS system was not a pleasant one, at least as he described it. His first encounter came in a spring training game, and he felt two pitches he thought were strikes were called balls by the ABS system. “I feel like there probably were two pitches that I thought were strikes but were called balls. Given that, I do not like it,” Darvish said. His reaction reveals the possible flaws and limits in trusting automated systems with critical in-game decisions.

The technology was touted for sucking human error out of ball-strike calls and introducing consistency, but it’s not arrived without criticism. But why so many questions around ABS? What is the tech?

An Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system, also informally known as robot umpires, determines ball-strike calls. ABS uses Hawk-Eye Camera Technology – also used in other sports like tennis – to determine whether a pitch is a strike. It is a highly calibrated piece of tech that capitalizes on the 2023 Fall League change, which placed the strike zone based on a batter’s median stance of a batter from their previous 50 plate appearances.

Critics of the system complain that the ABS gets calls wrong due to its lack of accounting for a batter’s stance, height, and other factors-creating unsatisfying calls. This technology also takes away the human element of the game that many players and fans cherish. Darvish comment is justifying that fact – and he’s not the only naysayer.

ABS under scrutiny: Darvish and other pitchers skeptical

Yu Darvish not alone. Other players have raised issues with the ABS. Fellow star pitcher, Max Scherzer, said he’s skeptical that the system can accurately call balls and strikes. “Having a pitch clock, if you have ball-strike implications, that’s messing with the fabric of the game,” Scherzer said.

Other players such as Tyler Glasnow and Luis Gil expressed mixed opinions about the ABS. Their comments suggest that MLB (or whoever is responsible) needs to do more game testing and system refinement. That helps to gain players’ confidence in the technology. So, what can be done moving ahead?

Commissioner Rob Manfred has commented on the ABS, reporting a mix of player sentiment. “I’ve been meeting with players for three years now, discussing this issue with them on and off,” Manfred said. Then the commissioner added that MLB had “nailed down” the technology for Automated Balls and Strike, except for “certain technical issues.” He continued, “I hope we are going to make progress on those in the second half of the season.”

But is it the first time technology has forayed into baseball? No! The ABS is not the first instance. Instant replay to review close calls has been available in the MLB since 2008. The goal of replay was to achieve the same goals as ABS in human umpiring: increased accuracy and precision to reduce the number of incorrect calls. Although instant replay has reversed some wrong calls, it has also prompted arguments over the speed of play and the role of human judgment. And the latter part has irked many.

The presence of umpires and the human element of the game are part of the historic nature of MLB’s style of play. Everyone appreciates their inclusion and influence in the game. “At the end of the day, we’re all human. Umpires can make a mistake, I can make a mistake,” praised Luis Gil of the New York Yankees, highlighting the unpredictable but valued nature of human participation. Even MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred honored the role of umpires in the league. “They do an unbelievable job in an extremely, extremely difficult role,” he said.

For some, like Yu Darvish, tradition is the name of the game. For some, there is value in finding the right balance between integrating technology and preserving the specific aspects of the game. For others, innovation is the means for keeping the sport alive. Hanging in the balance is the all-too-important question: Is this the future of baseball, or a step too far?