Walks and game time up, pitches in strike zone down through first full month of MLB’s robot umpires
Walks and game times have increased in Major League Baseball's first full month with robot umpires, while the percentage of pitches in the strike zone has declined. The Automatic Ball/Strike System has upheld 53.4% of challenges, with catchers having more success than batters in overturning calls. MLB officials and team executives note the changes are consistent with trends previously seen in the minor leagues.
- ▪Walks are up 7.3% compared to the same period last year, averaging 6.98 per game from April 21–30.
- ▪Pitches in the strike zone dropped to 47.3%, down from 50.6% last year, the lowest level since 2019.
- ▪The Automatic Ball/Strike System upheld 53.4% of challenges, with 1,030 out of 1,928 calls overturned.
- ▪Catchers have been significantly more successful than batters in challenging pitch calls.
- ▪The ABS defines the strike zone based on the ball crossing the midpoint of the plate and uses adjusted height percentages for the top and bottom of the zone.
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