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MLB Adds Broadcast Delays, Curbs Strike-Zone Graphics for ABS Rollout

The league is throttling real-time pitch data to prevent teams from using on-screen cues to influence ball-strike challenges.

Overview

  • Telecasts that show the strike zone box will run on roughly a nine‑second delay, MLB Gameday will lag by about five seconds, and low‑latency in‑stadium feeds will omit the box and pitch dots entirely.
  • Broadcasts will still display pitch location, but they will no longer mark balls and strikes with filled or hollow indicators inside the strike zone graphic.
  • The strike-zone box is banned from public in‑stadium screens and limited to broadcast‑booth monitors, while ABS challenge animations will still appear after a player initiates a review.
  • Under the ABS rules, pitchers, catchers, or hitters can immediately challenge a call with a head tap; teams get two challenges per game with retention on successful appeals and one per extra inning if out.
  • Umpires can deny challenges deemed aided or too late, and clubs are using spring training to build familiarity, with prior data showing catchers overturned calls more often than pitchers (56% vs. 41%).