ABS, called robot referee, makes strike and ball decisions through a pitch tracking program. A structure in which the referee shouts strikes and balls received in real time through the earphone. In the U.S., since it first started in the Atlantic League in the U.S. Independent League in 2019, the minor leagues have also been piloted in the top single A and Arizona fall baseball, gradually increasing their proportion. 스포츠토토
ABS was operated at all Triple-A stadiums this year, but the Major League has yet to decide on its final introduction. It was originally aimed at introducing it in 2024, but it has not made a decision. In the minor league, there are games that are conducted with 100% ABS, and each team is divided into three challenges. It can be seen that 100% verification of ABS has not yet been performed.
In this situation, KBO starts first. This is shocking. Since last year, KBO President Heo Gu-yeon has met with Major League Commissioner Rob Manfred to listen to the current status of ABS, share information, and push for review of the KBO League. Every year, however, KBO decided to introduce ABS as complaints and conflicts in the field escalated over ball decisions. It is judged that there is only ABS to improve fairness amid controversy over ball decisions, large and small.
In July, KBO announced the “level-up project” of the KBO league and the national team to increase the value of “fan-first.” It was a project aimed at enhancing the league’s performance by improving the system, providing higher satisfaction to fans, and creating a virtuous cycle of expanding the base of baseball and strengthening the national team’s competitiveness.
Regarding ABS and pitch clocks, which were key to system improvement among the “Level Up Project,” KBO has been comprehensively analyzing system and hardware reviews and their impact on the game when introducing the league. It has shared the contents with each club through the executive committee and supplemented the improvements.
The KBO ABS system has been upgrading the system in the Futures League for the past four years since 2020, maintaining the sophistication and consistency of ball-strike decisions, and reducing the time for the judgment results to be delivered to the referee.
If KBO introduces ABS into the KBO League, all pitchers and batters can be subject to the same strike zone decision, enabling fair play progress. KBO plans to elaborate hardware selection work that can be most efficiently combined with the accumulated ABS system and introduce it from the 2024 season exhibition games.
