Important Ways That Technology Has Impacted Baseball

Advances in technology has effected various aspects of life and the game of baseball is no exception. Long simply considered “a part of the game” technology such as video reply has shortened the impact of “human error” on the game; that is, mistaken calls by umpires, particularly on home run calls can now be corrected through replay analysis.

The lore of baseball history is full of instances where an umpire got a call wrong, indefinitely changing the course of a team’s hopes of winning the World Series. Get more information here. During game 1 of the 1996 American League Championship Series, for instance, Yankees’ rookie shortstop Derek Jeter hit a fly ball to the warning track of Yankee Stadium’s right field porch. Oriole’s right fielder Tony Tarasco settled under the ball only to have it caught above him by a fan named Jamie Maier. Umpire Riche Garcia ruled the ball a home run, trying the game at 4. The Yankees went on to win the game and the series. Replays clearly showed that the ball would not have cleared the fence and would probably have been caught had the fan not interfered, but baseball rules at the time did not allow questionable calls to be reviewed and overturned. This is no longer the case. Instant replay was implemented in August 28 2008.