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NEW YORK (AP) — A season of seismic changes for baseball gets underway Thursday highlighted by significant new rules designed to speed up the pace of play and create more action on the field.
Major League Baseball also hopes fans noticed more transparency around replay reviews and efforts to boost marketing of players.
Improved replay technology and a refreshed marketing strategy designed to focus on players were among the notable changes unveiled at MLB’s Innovation and Fan Engagement Showcase on Tuesday.
The sprawling replay facility resembles a television production truck and features workstations with umpires assigned to two games simultaneously with a replay operator, who required about four to five weeks of training.
Once a close play is spotted, they notify another group watching the isolated angles from television feeds.
“Us having access to all the angles at the ballpark is what leads us to be faster and faster every year,” said Jim Sensale, director of replay operations. “We’re hoping to have the call before they even come to headset.”
In terms of feedback from current umpires, Sensale said the feedback is positive
“They love it now,” Sensale said. “They don’t want to be in the papers for getting the call wrong. They know they have this backup system and we’re going to get the call right in here and help them out on the field.”
The new feel of the replay room was unveiled about two weeks after MLB reached a deal with Zoom Video Communications Inc. allowing on-field umpires to watch the replay operations center evaluating contested calls.
Another new feature of the replay room includes limited number of telecasts getting access to the Zoom videos being seen by umpires on Apple TV+ and MLB Network Showcase telecasts. New technology may also become available for postseason broadcasts, and ballpark videos will have access to the Zoom views on telecasts.
The new quicker pace of replay decisions is in conjunction with new initiatives cut down…
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