This week, Major League Baseball announced that beginning in 2026 it will implement a challenge system for balls and strikes after the league’s competition committee voted to usher in the era of robot umpiring. The vote ended 7 players to approve with 4 against.
MLB has been hinting at this move for some time, even testing it in the minors, during spring training, and at this year’s All-Star Game. The writing has been on the wall, and many fans saw this inevitable shift coming.
Under the system, teams will receive two challenges per game. Hitters, pitchers, and catchers will be the only ones permitted to initiate a challenge by tapping their head. Like the NFL, if a team wins the challenge, it will keep it.
Yet for many fans, this change rips at the very fabric of the national pastime. Former commissioner Bud Selig began tinkering with tradition years ago, and current commissioner Rob Manfred has accelerated that trend. From interleague play to placing a runner on second in extra innings, the sport has been reshaped for short attention spans, leaving purists frustrated.
Umpiring has always been an art form that should not be reduced to robotics. Baseball celebrates quirks and imperfections. Stadiums are unique, not uniform. The weather, bats, gloves, and human decisions shape every contest. That human element deserves to remain.
Catcher pitch framing is another skill diminished by technology. Generations of players have built reputations on their ability to call a game and frame pitches. Understanding an umpire’s tendencies—whether he favors a wide strike zone or responds better to quicker pitchers—has always been part of the chess match within the game.
Now, that subtle strategy is being replaced by a sterile, video game concept. Baseball’s beauty has always been its imperfection. Sadly, that uniqueness is slipping away.