robot umpires mlb allstar game.

FILE - The Automated Ball-Strike System plays on the scoreboard after a pitch call was challenged during the first inning of a spring training baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and the San Diego Padres, Feb. 26, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Robot umpires to make All-Star Game debut, another step toward possible regular-season use in 2026

Major League Baseball is testing automated ball-strike systems in the All-Star Game for the first time. The system, used in some minor leagues since 2019, allows teams two challenges per game, retaining them if successful. All-Star starters Tarik Skubal of Detroit and Paul Skenes of Pittsburgh say pitchers often think everything is a strike. Clayton Kershaw believes the system works if it’s adjusted for player height, which it does. During spring training tests, teams won 52.2% of challenges.

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