Every single Baseball player would rather have a robot ump (as long as it was incredibly accurate), because human error on balls/strikes is extremely frustrating, but for fans the human umpire adds more drama and excitement to the game.

There is no question that it would objectively improve the sport but it might make it less fun to watch.

I probably be on board with robot ump calling balls and strikes. But there's something being taken away from the fans when there's a close play at the plate and you have to wait 5 minutes to cheer.

Soccer.

Do they have timeouts in rugby or cricket?

Not in rugby but there's an end change every six pitches in cricket which acts as one. Batting team can get visits from a sub at some of them.

How does this not end with a TD on every drive?

Yeah literally every really close play now you almost don't care what the ump calls because it's not the real call yet.

I actually think the best solution is to move the fences back and make the walls higher. This would make hitting fly balls less rewarding since they would end up as home runs less. And the larger fields would mean more balls staying in play, which means more athletic fielders would be of increased value.

Players got stronger, and fields got smaller, and bats got better, and balls probably get better too. The result is that home runs are now too easy to hit. You shouldn't be able to one arm a home run like Puig did 2 weeks ago, or hit a sky high 335 foot popup home run like Correa did. I think baseball's number of exciting plays would go up greatly if fields had dimensions more like 380 to the corners with 30 foot high wall, 420 in the gaps, and 450 to center. Some parks could be a bit smaller but use monster walls to keep balls in play. Hitting a home run should mean you crushed the ball. Pitchers would also throw more strikes and pitch longer into games, resulting in faster play in numerous ways. And just think of the plays we'd get to see made by outfielders.

For a long time I've been a fan who actively roots for the ball not to clear the wall on deep fly balls. I'd rather see the outfielder field the ball, and the defense make throws while the baserunner hustles the bases. Or for the outfielder to have a chance to cover more ground and make the catch. To me the ball going over the wall is the least exciting result. We get no fielding, and all we get to watch is a guy jog around the bases. And then a bunch of replays of a ball flying through the air. Defense and baserunning > guy jogging around the bases.

Teams already have turned towards better fielders, to the point where people now wonder wether sluggers are undervalued on the market. I agree that baseball needs more balls in play, but shaving off home runs while doing nothing about the massive and ever rising number of strikeouts seems like it'd make the game worse to me. Maybe move fences out while also lowering the mound or something.

The number of pitching changes, I don't really think that's a solvable problem when a run of the mill RP is more effective than all starters but the true aces once they face hitters a third time. You can't really limit substitutions bc you can't make guys pitch through injury (and adding an injury exception would make lead to all kinds of shenanigans). Maybe limit the number of bullpen spots though but what stops teams from designating a RP as the 5th outfielder?

a soccer timeout is everyone goes to the sideline while one guy fakes an injury

My theory is that if home runs were much harder to hit the optimal batting style would change to a style that puts the ball in play much more. As well as the pitchers being able to pitch to contact more.

Probably but it'd absolutely kill run scoring in the process. Idk your post kinda sounds like the reason why Ks are rampant is that hitters are selling out for fly balls. I guess that's part of it but strikeouts were going up since forever, certainly before home run rates started exploding in mid 2015. And pitchers could get away with pitching to contact more but why would they want to? Especially with 14 men bullpens I assume would just keep ~all of the strikeouts without most of the dingers.

Ball fumbled through end zone is placed at the spot at which possession begins to be lost.

Too big a windfall to defense that ball is returned.

How about they just institute and actually enforce a pitch clock, like people have been saying for years?

Also, a foul ball on a full count = walk.

Lol Browns!

I don't understand the rationale for the team retaining possession if the ball is fumbled out of bounds at the one reversing possession if it's fumbled out of the end zone.

umm no, mlb does not have a pitch clock

great post, exactly the stat i wanted to know, thanks

Grunching here but make baseball 7 innings. I can enjoy a game live and it still feels a bit long, can never watch it on tv without falling asleep.

That's not going to speed up the game and is way too big of a change.

Stats are too sacred for them to change the number of innings or games in a season, unless ratings really ****ing tank.

I'm really on the fence about robots calling balls and strikes. It would change the game so much to not have an ump back there. I think giving a team X # of challenges - like in tennis - might work better.

I'm not saying this is you, but I feel like some people think there will be actual robots behind the plate, like R2D2. The ump will have an earpiece that dings for a strike.

yeah. and you would still have an ump to call foul tips, hbp, etc

"robot umps" literally just make the decision, ideally it could be put into place and no one would ever even know unless they started doing research into the more consistent strike zone

I agree.

Babe Ruth ruined the sport.

The rule where a fumble short of the goal line that goes out in the end zone is a turnover is terrible. Why in the world is that different than anywhere else?

Does fumbling it out of your own end zone cease being a safety?

well no, because the ball went forward it is put back to where it was fumbled. since that is the end zone it is a safety

literally everywhere except into the end zone the ball is spotted where it was fumbled