The Chicago Cubs will kick off their spring training schedule Thursday, and they’ll make a bit of unique MLB history in the process.
The Cubs will take on the Los Angeles Dodgers at Glendale’s Camelback Ranch to start their Cactus League slate of games, and while playing the first MLB game of the spring and facing off against the reigning World Series champions is fun enough, the two teams could also be kicking off a new era in baseball.
That’s because the game will be the first Major League-level game to utilize Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS) technology, allowing for challenges of ball and strike calls on the field.
The technology has rolled out in minor league stadiums in recent years, but Thursday will mark the first time that it has been used in a game between Major League teams. It will only be in use during spring training, as it has not been approved for use in regular season games.
While some experimentation has been done with a strictly electronic strike zone, the ABS system that Major League Baseball will introduce this spring allows teams to challenge two ball or strike calls per game, with teams retaining challenges if they are successful in overturning a call on the field.
Unlike the current challenge system, in which managers can challenge a call on the field, the ABS system requires a batter, catcher or pitcher to challenge a ball or strike call.
A player will tap their cap or helmet to signal to the umpire that they want to challenge the call, and the result will be displayed on video boards in the stadiums where the technology is in place.
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The technology used for the system has been incorporated into stadiums during the StatCast era in MLB. The width of the plate is a standard 17.5 inches per MLB rules, but according to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovance, the upper and lower limits of the strike zone for each player will be set at 53.5% of their height on the upper end and 27% of their height on the lower end.
To achieve that, all players were measured by independent teams of researchers prior to the start of spring training games, according to the league.
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MLB says the system will be in place for approximately 60% of spring training games, as it will only be rolled out to a limited number of spring stadiums in Arizona and Florida.
Those stadiums include Camelback Ranch, where the Chicago White Sox play their games, along with stadiums in Salt River, Peoria, Surprise and Goodyear, according to MLB.
For fans interested in checking out the technology in action, the Cubs’ game will be available on MLB Network at 2:05 p.m. Central time, and will also stream via the MLB.tv app, according to the league.
