SAN DIEGO — When you follow a game on Major League Baseball’s website, it’s there. When you watch a local broadcast, there’s a good chance you’ll see it. When you see an ESPN broadcast, it’s part of the live picture.
Graphics showing the strike zone, telling viewers immediately whether a pitch is good, are standard fare now. For the most part, they show us how good umpires are at getting borderline ball-and-strike calls right. They also show us every call that is missed.
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Considering that tennis already has mechanized officiating, with other sports implementing technology in their own ways, it’s fair to wonder about the potential for balls and strikes to be called by a machine.