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A20 SPORTS
Thursday 23 January 2020

MLB to test but not use computer umps at spring training

NEW YORK (AP) — Major training facilities for later fred as a senior player on
League Baseball will test use during the Florida State the 2017 Astros, quit his new
computer plate umpires League season." job as manager of the New
during spring training but Plate umpires hear the York Mets.
will not use the system for computerized ball/strike Manfred said stripping the
decisions in any exhibition calls via earpieces. The 2017 Astros and 2018 Red
games. human umps decide on Sox of their World Series
MLB experimented with checked swings and other titles was not considered.
the automated balls and plays. The Dodgers lost both World
strikes system during the Manfred spoke about the Series, and the Los Angeles
second half of last sea- system in an interview with City Council adopted a
son in the independent Fox at the World Economic resolution Tuesday asking
Atlantic League, and the Forum in Davos, Switzer- MLB to award the Dodgers
Arizona Fall League used it land. both championships.
for a few dozen games at "We believe over the long "We haven't concluded our
Salt River Fields. The Major haul it's going to be more In this July 10, 2019, file photo, home plate umpire Brian deBrau- investigation with the Red
League Baseball Umpires accurate. It will reduce were, left, huddles with officials while wearing an earpiece con- Sox, so it's a little hard to
Association agreed last controversy in the game nected to a ball and strikes calling system before the Atlantic take the trophy away from
month to cooperate and and be good for the League All-Star minor league baseball game in York, Pa. somebody who hasn't yet
assist if Commissioner Rob game," he said. "The cur- Associated Press been found to do some-
Manfred decides to utilize rent strike zone design is thing wrong," Manfred said.
the system at the major actually three-dimensional, Manfred suspended man- in 2018, and Manfred with- "We don't know what the
league level. and a camera is better at ager AJ Hinch and general held a decision on Red Sox outcome of that's going to
"We will be running the au- calling a three-dimensional manager Jeff Luhnow for manager Alex Cora, whom be. I think that the second
tomated balls and strikes strike zone than the human one season each, and both Manfred concluded was flaw is whatever the impact
system only in test mode eye." were fired by the team. He involved in sign stealing of the sign stealing was,
but will not actually use Manfred also addressed fined the team $5 million by the Astros when he was it could have changed
it to call balls and strikes his Jan. 13 decision to dis- and stripped the Astros of Houston's bench coach in who was in the World Se-
in spring training games," cipline the Houston Astros their next two first- and sec- 2017. ries — absolutely unclear
the commissioner's office for using a video camera ond-round draft picks. Cora lost his job as Boston that the Dodgers would
said in a statement. "It will to steal signs in violation of MLB also is investigating manager and Carlos Bel- have been the World Series
be available in nine spring rules during 2017 and 2018. whether Boston stole signs trán, implicated by Man- champion.q