Opinion | Officiating: the bad, the ugly and the solution
Joe Perrino, Sports Editor
Five San Francisco Giants batters, in the final three innings of their last regular-season game Sept. 27 against the San Diego Padres, struck out looking on pitches not in the strike zone. Five! I was flabbergasted.
As they wound up eventually losing in a tight 5-4 contest with a playoff berth on the line, my beloved Giants were brutally ripped of any championship aspirations for the 2020 season.
After the game, I began reflecting on my past experiences with umpires, and countless other sports officiating blunders throughout time. This isn’t just a problem in baseball. Professional sports have a referee problem.
In the fourth quarter of their first game of the 2020 NFL season Sept. 13, the Dallas Cowboys were driving down the field. With only 31 seconds remaining, quarterback Dak Prescott heaved a pass down the field that fell right into the arms of receiver Michael Gallup. Upon initial viewing, it seemed as if Gallup pushed off of the cornerback Jalen Ramsey, warranting a penalty from the official. However, after a more detailed look, it was clear Ramsey sold the push-off.
Last season, NFL coaches were allowed to challenge questionable pass interference penalties in hopes to reverse the call. However, the league revoked that rule this season, leaving all penalty calls at the hands of the officials.
Why did they do that?
Replay has been one of the greatest innovations in sports officiating. It has saved countless plays in sports history, and it would have saved this one. So major sports have to start there by widely implementing replay review even if it causes the length of games to increase. But there’s other, more radical ways to improve – particularly within the sport that most frequently has terrible officiating: baseball.
Throughout the sport’s history, strike zones have been subjective. While one umpire might call a strike on a pitch an inch or two off the corner of home plate, another umpire will not. This can greatly influence the outcome of an at-bat, as it can change a hitter’s mentality when going up to the plate as to whether to be more aggressive or selective in swinging.
The solution to this problem? Robots.
No, not actual robots squatting behind the catcher to call balls and strikes. I’m talking about a mechanical strike zone that will call pitches fairly for every batter.
Last season, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred stated that the league is getting closer and closer to using “automated strike zones.” They decided to test it out in the Arizona Fall League – a developmental league for players looking to reach the major leagues – and Manfred liked what he saw enough to invest in new technology to further improve the process.
Assuming this happens, everything purists know about baseball can be thrown out the window. Sure, it might ruin the ‘integrity’ of the game, whatever that means, but will it really be a downgrade if games are finally called correctly?
To Manfred and other commissioners: Please look at my recommendations and review them thoroughly. I sure as hell know your officials aren’t doing that on the field.