Rob Manfred: MLB umpires grew tired of seeing bad calls on ESPN

Keep showing Major League Baseball umpires’ bad calls, and even they will start to realize the importance of instant replay.

Nearly two decades after instant replay was first implemented in Major League Baseball, and more than 10 years after managers were given the right to challenge calls, the replay system is set to expand again, this time including an automated balls and strike system (ABS). MLB will introduce the ABS challenge system during the 2025 All-Star Game, with full implementation planned for the 2026 season.

Monday afternoon, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred joined The Pat McAfee Show to promote the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game. During the segment, McAfee wished Manfred luck in trying to push the ABS challenge system through, noting how NFL referees initially pushed back on instant replay. And considering how strong of a union the MLB Umpires Association is, it’s fair to expect similar resistance.

“We’re gonna use the Automated Ball-Strike system in the All-Star Game..

We’re in the process of bringing it to the big leagues next season” ~ Rob Manfred #ProgrumSummerRoadTrip https://t.co/oUZ8Luvz1y pic.twitter.com/pvGSNqekkI

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 14, 2025

“We had exactly that dynamic when we first went to instant replay,” Manfred admitted, noting umpires initially said, “‘We don’t want it, we want no part of it.’ You know what flipped them? The media. They got tired of seeing themselves being shown up on ESPN or whatever. So, they flipped on replay. We actually have the right with our umpires’ union to deploy the automated strike zone system, they were really forward-thinking about it this time around. They really were good about it.”

The most important thing for umpires is upholding their value to the sport. The last thing umpires want to do is continue down a path of expanding instant replay to a point where it begins to nullify any need for them to officiate the game.

Manfred, however, also claimed MLB wants to “preserve the role of the umpire in the game.” Umpires probably appreciate that sentiment, although it won’t stop them from proceeding with caution. But umpires should also relish the opportunity to get calls right because bad calls that change the outcome of a game live forever, while corrected mistakes are quickly forgotten.