SAN FRANCISCO — Upon further review, Major League Baseball will begin using limited instant replay on home run rulings beginning Thursday.
Commissioner Bud Selig, long an opponent of video assistance, explained Tuesday that overwhelming evidence and advanced technology motivated the change.
“When you have an umpire running out trying to see a ball 300 feet away, it was impossible,” Selig said. “We have a solution available.”
Replay will be used exclusively on boundary and fair or foul home run calls and will not be expanded, Selig vowed.
The reaction around baseball was mixed, with Cubs manager Lou Piniella predicting it would be a “fiasco initially” and Baltimore manager Dave Trembley questioning the timing of the introduction.
But the Rockies greeted the announcement with open arms. Manager Clint Hurdle has long advocated the use of instant replay, a stance that only grew stronger last season as five boundary calls went against his club.
“Why wait? If they have technology, they should do it right now,” Hurdle said. “I am a big fan.”
Because of the configuration of new ballparks, where the seats are pressed right against the outfield fences, there have been several instances in which home runs have been incorrectly ruled.
Said Todd Helton, “It’s really hard because if the umpire loses the ball for one second, you can’t pick it back up.”
Critics have suggested replay will lengthen games, but measures are in place to prevent drawn-out arguments. Any manager who disputes a replay ruling will be automatically ejected.
“It’s probably only going to happen once every two weeks, so I think those extra two minutes are worth getting a very important call right,” Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday said.
Instant replay will begin with Thursday’s three series-opening games — Minnesota at Oakland, Texas at the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia at the Chicago Cubs — and all new series that begin Friday. The agreement with the players’ union calls for instant replay to be used for the rest of this season, with plans to extend it through 2011 if no concerns are raised.
Selig said he had no misgivings about launching the system during the season.
“I think to wait until the postseason, that struck me as awkward,” Selig said. “It’s not Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. The technology is wired. There’s so much evidence that it’s the right thing to do. There’s no reason not to implement it.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
Let’s play it again
Baseball will begin using instant replay Thursday on fair or foul and boundary home run calls.
•The umpire crew chief will determine whether to review a call and ultimately decide whether to overrule or label the evidence inconclusive.
•All 30 ballparks will have TV monitors just off the field where the play will be reviewed. At Coors Field, the monitor will be located in the tunnel behind home plate.
•Television feeds from all ballparks will be monitored by a video technician or a retired umpire in a New York command center.
Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
