Replay Starts Thursday: Source

Machines might be able to do this job better

(NEWSER) - Joe Mauer smashed a ball to left field in the 11th inning Friday, and it landed fair, a foot inside the line. But it won’t show up on any box score, because umpire Phil Cuzzi, standing just 10 feet away, ruled it foul. It’s just one of several blown calls in this postseason, and as the errors pile up, some are wondering: Do we really need umpires—or could a machine do the job better? More»

Instant replay's maiden use awards slugger his 549th home run

(NEWSER) - Major League Baseball's first-ever use of instant replay to settle a call backed a 9th-inning homer from Alex Rodriguez last night at Tropicana Field. Umpires checked the Yankee slugger's drive on a monitor after a protest from Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon, and upheld the original fair call, Newsday reports. More»

Baseball history might be different if these games had come under review

(NEWSER) - With instant replay now available to Major League Baseball umpires (at least for some calls), USA Today looks at some famous games where it might have come in handy:

• Oct. 1, 2007, tiebreaker for National League wild card: Padres’ catcher Michael Barrett maintains that the Rockies’ Matt Holliday didn’t actually touch the plate while scoring the winning run, but the umpire disagreed.

Umpires sign on to management's proposal, but details still up in the air

(NEWSER) - Umpires and Major League Baseball officials have struck a deal that could bring instant replay to the ballpark as early as the end of this month, AP reports. The World Umpires Association signed the agreement yesterday after days of haggling over details. Video review will be limited to boundary calls like home runs and foul balls, with film clips provided by a centralized "war room." More»

And experts analyzing MLB plays won't even be in stadium

(NEWSER) - MLB's current plan for video review may go into effect as early as August 1, but don't expect it to be like the NFL's system. Team managers will have no say in which plays get looked at, and the experts analyzing footage won't even be in the stadium, ESPN reports. More»