Instant replay is used in all four major sports to assist umpires and referees make correct calls in sporting even. Major League Baseball instituted instant replay under limited circumstances midway through the 2008 season. In most cases, replay is used by umpires to help determine whether a home run call is accurate. Baseball uses instant replay on so-called "boundary" plays. However, it does not use instant replay on balls and strikes or safe and out calls.
Home Run Call
The first use of instant replay in Major League Baseball is to determine whether a ball left the ballpark. In most cases, it is easy to determine if the ball flies over the fence and lands in the seats or not. However, many stadiums use a yellow line on the fence to determine home runs. If the ball hits above the line, it is a home run. If it hits the line or below, it is in play. Making that call is difficult in many circumstances. If there are any balls that hit in the vicinity of the line, the batter should run the ball out as it it were not a home run. If the ball hit 3 inches above the line, the umpires will be able to see that when they look at the replay. But if it hit the line, the batter can be thrown out because the ball is in play. If the batter jogs and then gets tagged out, that out will stand if the replay shows the ball is in play. If the replay shows that the ball went over the line, the out will be reversed and the player and his team will be credited with a home run.
Fair or Foul
Once again, home runs are the focus of replay when fair or foul calls are made. Prior to replay, the foul pole that extends upward was the determining factor on fair or foul calls on home runs. If the ball hits the pole, it is fair and a home run. However, if the ball is inches to either side of the pole, it had been up to the umpire to determine whether the ball flew to the fair side or the foul side of the line. Instant replay can be used to determine whether the batted ball was fair or foul when it flies over the fence. Managers from either team can request that umpires review the call with replay, but it is up to the umpires to determine whether they want to review the call or not.
Fan Interference
Replay can be used to determine whether fans interfered with the flight of the ball and whether it would have gone over the fence or not. If a fan sitting in the left field stands reaches over the fence to catch the baseball, the umpires can use replay to determine whether the ball would have gone over the fence or not. If the umpire believes the ball would have flown over the fence had the fan not touched it, he will award a home run. If he thinks the ball would have been off the fence, he will award the batter the number of bases he believes he would have gotten. If he thinks the fielder would have caught the baseball, he can call the batter out.
No Other Use
As of 2010, instant replay may not be used for any other calls other than home run calls. A line drive down the foul line that may be an inch or two fair or foul is not a replay call. Umpires may not use instant replay to determine if a runner was out or safe or whether any other call but a home run was made correctly.
Member Comments