It is determined as a strike only if the vertical height criteria are met at two places: the middle and end of the home plate.헤라카지노
It is carried out by using a tracking system for all regular pitches, tracking pitch position values, reading strikes and balls, and delivering the results to the referee.
Korea is the first country to implement an automatic pitching judgment system (ABS), so-called “robot referee,” in the top league.
Experiments started in the U.S. first. The team made its debut in the Arizona Autumn League and the Atlantic League, an independent league, before expanding its scope to minor leagues. In 2023, the team expanded its scope to all 30 Triple-A stadiums.
In the minor leagues, ABS operated in two ways. One was left to judge all pitches the way the KBO does now, and the other was to give both teams three chances and raise objections like video replays.
The KBO league is the first to be introduced in the top league. If KBO has followed the rules of the Major League in the meantime, Korea is one step ahead this time.
As such, this is bound to be an unfamiliar area for everyone.
What do the players in the spring camp think of this?
It seems to welcome this in that the controversy over the strike ball decision, which hurt the players’ heads, has disappeared.
Kiwoom Heroes outfielder Ronnie Dawson said, “I’ve never used it, but I’ve had one among my friends. I think a lot of batters like it. I know where the strike zone is and I can go in,” giving a positive response.
LG Twins right-hander Casey Kelly also welcomed the introduction of the system, saying, “(Batters and pitchers) have to complain (about the decision to make a strike ball). When ABS is introduced, it will be recognized as ‘Oh, that’s a strike.’ It can eliminate the part of baseball that protests against the decision to make a strike ball.”
“The same strike zone should be applied in all stadiums. There are players who are worried about that,” he said, stressing that consistency should be given priority.
The NC Dinos seem to be conscious of this and are helping pitchers adapt by connecting a line to the bullpen to create a strike zone.
NC left-hander Kim Young-kyu said, “The team set the line, so I’m thinking, ‘It’s almost like this.’ I think we’ll find out (to be exact) when we go to the exhibition game.”
“I haven’t experienced it yet,” he said, taking a cautious stance. “It’s a good thing to be consistent. You have to experience how many zones are set before you judge. I don’t have a clue yet,” he said. “I will take some time to adjust through exhibition games.”
There is also a backlash that the introduction of ABS means the end of catcher’s framing. In particular, the Major League, which highly values catcher’s framing ability, is said to have more backlash.
What do the Gunners think? It is widely believed that it is not yet time to give up on framing.
Kiwoom catcher Kim Si-ang said, “There is a pleasure of making the ball strike when framing. I love this pleasure and thought it was one of my strengths, but I was sorry when the ABS was mentioned,” but said that framing is “not necessarily necessary.”
“It’s a habit that I cut into my body for framing, so it will come out naturally. If I don’t do this, pitchers might think, ‘Did my ball fall off?’ I have to do what I can,” he said, explaining why framing is “not unnecessary.”
NC catcher Park Se-hyuk also agreed. “Framing is something I have to do as a catcher and it’s an important role, but it’s a shame that it disappears,” he said, but expressed his belief, saying, “I think you have to keep framing in order to help the pitcher’s spirit and make him feel good or bad.”
Having experienced the system in the second division, he said, “I don’t know what will happen yet. I think refereeing is part of the game. I thought everything a person does cannot be the same, and that is part of baseball. I don’t know how it will be judged. I have to try it.” We have to wait and see what ABS will look like.
There are many controversies, but the introduction has already been confirmed. If the system is successfully established, it will be remembered as a meaningful attempt.
“It’s not our choice anyway. We have to accept it as a development of Korean baseball,” Kim said. All the players preparing for the season may feel the same way.