Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
Ever the contrarian, new Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Max Scherzer showed that he isn’t a big fan of robot umpires. Naturally, his complaints came after both of his ball-strike challenges failed during his first Spring Training start.
Technically, it’s called the Automated Ball-Strike System, or ABS, but I’m sticking with calling it robot umps because that’s way more fun. Much like how fun it was to see Max Scherzer lose both of his challenges of the human umpire’s call because his catcher Alejandro Kirk is really good at framing pitches.
Alejandro Kirk's framing is so smooth…
It fooled Max Scherzer. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/GS23roDLUh
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) February 25, 2025
“They always say curve balls will clip the bottom of the zone and I saw Kirky kind of grab it,” Scherzer said about one of his challenges, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. “Whether it was a ball or strike, in that moment I wanted to know, because each catcher has their own individual strike zone — Is that actually at the bottom of the zone? — (and) get live feedback of knowing that’s actually below the zone based on his setup. So, it dials you into where you’re actually trying to deliver the ball to the catcher.”
Overall, at least so far, the three-time Cy Young Award winner says he is “a little skeptical” about ABS.
“I get what we’re trying to do here, but I think major-league umpires are really good. They’re really good,” Max Scherzer said Tuesday after his start, Jayson Stark of The Athletic reports. “So, what are we actually changing here? We know there are going to be strikes that are changed to balls, and balls that are changed to strikes. So, we’re going to basically be even. So, are we actually going to improve the game? Are the umpires really that bad? I don’t think so.”
Max Scherzer isn’t the only veteran pitcher who already has issued with robot umps. Five-time All-Star Yu Darvish of the San Diego Padres also isn’t a big fan of ABS. “I feel like there were probably about two pitches that I thought were strikes that were called balls. Given that, I do not like it,” Darvish said earlier this week.
Luckily for him and other pitchers who expressed skepticism about the Automated Ball-Strike System, like Tyler Glasnow and Luis Gil, it will be at least 2026 before Major League Baseball fully implements it into actual games that count. But make no mistake, the system, which has been used in Triple-A for the past two seasons, is coming, and fans can’t wait.
Want to see the automated balls and strikes system (ABS) in action?
Here's Luis Gil challenging a call.
🎥 @ChrisKirschner pic.twitter.com/A5tYt6PAP4
— The Athletic MLB (@TheAthleticMLB) February 19, 2025