Implement a challenge system, MLB

[TwoBits]

With no less than a dozen cameras at every MLB game, why not have a replay challenge system similar to the NFL? You get two challenges a game, and if you get those right, you get another one. This would aid in getting the call right and may actually speed up the game by eliminating needless arguing between managers and umpires.

[jdmara]

And what do you propose that they can and cannot challenge? Obviously the NFL has a very finite sets of situations that coaches can challenge so what would you propose?

-Josh

[TwoBits]

In a nutshell, anything that can be fixed without giving a team an advantage:

Fair/foul. Umpires would need to be trained to call fair on close ones as calling foul would kill the play.

Homerun/no homerun: Already reviewable under MLB guidelines.

Force plays: simply out or safe.

Tag plays: Make the tag or miss it?

Balls and strikes calls would be unreviewable.

Possible problems: what to do on situations when calling third out incorrectly. Play typically comes to a halt, but a team could be put at a disadvantage.

[mbyron]

What about catch/no catch? That's one where replay would be a mess.

Reviewing the third out: no significant disadvantage is likely here. False positive (3rd out incorrectly awarded to the defense): the offense gets to keep playing, so they won't mind if play has stopped (except maybe on scoring plays if the runner has to go back). False negative (3rd out incorrectly withheld from the defense): the defense won't mind if play continues, because the inning will end and runs possibly negated.

[Reffing Rev.]

I don't mind 20 challenges a game if the umps are having a bad night, but I like something I read somewhere: 1 wrong challenge = ejection and no more challenges that night.

If I were king of baseball this would be my challengeable play list.
--Home Runs
--Catch/No Catch (If a catch on a fair ball is overturned batter awarded 1B and all other runners advance 1 base from time of 'catch', if no-catch is overturned, batter is out - play by an infielder, all runners return to base occupied at time of pitch/play by an outfielder, all runners advance 1 base from time of pitch [this is assuming that a diving outfielder, or one against a wall is most likely not going to throw anybody out, a stretch sometimes, but ya gotta do something])
--Missed Base
--Leaving early on a tag
--HBP or not
--INT/OBS (if not called)
--Fan Interference (if not called)
--Safe/Out on last play of game (or potentially last play of game)
--Administrative type of events, batting out of order/4-outs, lost count, etc.

I would not allow challenges on ball/strikes, fair/foul or check swings.
The only safe/out call challengable would be the one that may or may not end the game.

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by Reffing Rev.

I don't mind 20 challenges a game if the umps are having a bad night

I know I would if I were a fan in attendance at this game.......slow, slower, slowest.......

[TwoBits]

Originally Posted by mbyron

What about catch/no catch? That's one where replay would be a mess.

.

With no runners on, no problem. With runners on, then there could be an issue. But NFL has some situations that aren't reviewable, and any MLB review system would have the same.

Bottom line is any system is better than what we have now.

[dash_riprock]

Originally Posted by TwoBits

Bottom line is any system is better than what we have now.

I think it's fine the way it is.

[TwoBits]

Originally Posted by TwoBits

With no runners on, no problem. With runners on, then there could be an issue. But NFL has some situations that aren't reviewable, and any MLB review system would have the same.

Bottom line is any system is better than what we have now.

Pete, I made the above post midway on the first page of this thread. I understand that what you explained could occur. There is no system that will be 100% perfect, but an improvement over the current system can be made.

[BigGref]

I think the challenge system is the likely next step.

2 challenges per coach, in those situations outlined before in this thread, if those two are successful they may get a third. 90 seconds or whatever, indisputable evidence, blah, blah...

I think this may actually help with some manager confrontations, if they come out on a judgement call the conversation is simple:
"what did you see?"
"he beat the tag, anything else sir?"
Anything else by coach besides "no thank you" and "I want to challenge" is end of discussion, then ejection

[gumpire]

Hey guys; I'm a ASA slow-pitch softball umpire so claim no special knowledge or privilege - but I had an idea:

From what I saw on the replay of this event, it appeared that Mr. Joyce DID confer with his fellow umpires; that is what we all (umpires) should do if there is reason for us to believe we may have missed something.

Following all of that; why not make replays available to umpires to use to review a call when, and only when, THEY feel they might need that extra help?

[mbyron]

The premise of this whole discussion is that a missed call costing a pitcher a perfect game is the end of the world. I'm not convinced that it's worse than replay.

[dash_riprock]

Originally Posted by mbyron

The premise of this whole discussion is that a missed call costing a pitcher a perfect game is the end of the world. I'm not convinced that it's worse than replay.

Bravo mb. And it wasn't even close to a perfect game. A perfect game is 81 strikes.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by dash_riprock

Bravo mb. And it wasn't even close to a perfect game. A perfect game is 81 strikes.

Naw, a perfect game is 25 ejections before a pitch is thrown....aka a Joe West wet dream.

[bisonlj]

The biggest issue you'll find with replay is it starts to make many of your rules much more technical. Think of how technical a catch/no catch is now in football. You will end up with the same thing on what constitutes possession of a catch by a fielder either on a fly ball or a play like the Detroit game. And I guarantee the force play at second as they turn a double play would become reviewable. Slippery slope.