Automated balls and strikes in MLB, We don’t think so

Driving into work Saturday morning, a voice on the radio bemoaned some balls and strikes calls in Friday night’s Cubs-Reds game.

a discussion of whether Major League Baseball should go to an automated system for calling balls and strikes.

We accept that the game is played by human beings who, while capable of the extraordinary, sometimes are painfully ordinary.

The automated umpiring system would seek to bring perfection to an imperfect game.

The replay review system, while sometimes prolonged and maddening, still leaves room for human input.

A totally automated strike zone would eliminate that and, in the process, rid the game of some nuance and strategy.

Outcomes often are impacted by the ability of pitchers and hitters to read and react to the umpire’s strike zone each day.

The best pitchers quickly determine if they can work a corner or get a strike call just below the knees.

The umpire was consistently calling strikes a few inches off the outside corner.

Major League Baseball is a different game certainly, but to lose that kind of read, reaction and execution would be a shame to some of us old-school types.