Louisville Bats president discusses debut of automated ball/strike system

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Louisville Bats are set to introduce the automated ball/strike system at the team's game Tuesday night at Slugger Field.

Louisville Bats Baseball President Greg Galiette sat down with WDRB Mornings on Tuesday to explain how it works, saying there will not be a giant robot behind home plate.

Galiette said MLB officials have installed a camera system around Slugger Field that tracks the baseball coming out of the pitcher's hand to the catcher. The umpire is then told through an earpiece whether it was a ball or strike.

The Bats will be using the system for the first time during Tuesday's game at Slugger Field, but players have already had experience with it on the road and seemed to like it.

"We're going to have two different systems going on this week," Galiette said. "Basically, our homestands are six days long. We're going to break them into three days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, straight automated ball/strike, and the umpire calls whatever he hears in his earpiece. When we get to Friday, through the weekend, it's now a challenge system. And, basically, each team gets three challenges of a ball/strike call. The umpire will basically call the game like he used to in the old days. He'll have the earpiece still in his ear (and) he'll call it ball or strike.

"If either team wants to challenge the ball/strike call, only the pitcher or catcher and the batter can call for it. Not the managers. Not the benches. Once you get down to zero, as far as challenging calls and not getting them right, you're out of challenges."

At the end of the year, Galiette said data will be compiled to determine which system will be adopted.

Galiette also said the pitch clock that was put into use has greatly helped increase the flow of the game, eliminating a lot of the extra innings.

"I love the fact that our games are ending a half-hour earlier than they used to in the past," Galiette said. "We're getting back to game times that I remember as a kid growing up in the 60s and 70s: 2 hours 15, 2 hours 30 minutes."

Later this week, on Friday, the Bats have designated their game as 502 Connect night in honor of the people who responded to the mass shooting at the Old National Bank on April 10. They're inviting first responders, firefighters, the FBI and U of L Health to gather at the game.

Part of the proceeds from ticket sales, along with sales from a newly designed T-shirt, will go to the survivors' fund for the shooting victims and their families.

Saturday night is Redbird Reunion Night, and the players will be decked out in Redbird uniforms.