Rise of the Machines

"Robotic umpires", those camera systems that call balls and strikes at the plate, are getting their first try in the Major Leagues in Spring Training this year (they've been in use in the minors).

We’ll let you in on a critical secret that is about to get exposed. That strike zone called by human umpires in the big leagues may be a rectangle in theory — but it’s more like an oval in real life. That’s because many pitches up and in, or up and away, are not called strikes by human umps, even though they’re technically in the zone.

Note that this is only for Spring Training. The smart odds are on it not actually coming to the big show until after the next MLB labor agreement is finalized in a couple years.