TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Kevin Cash isn't worried that manager ejections will become a relic of baseball's past just because robot umpires have arrived to settle some debates.

“You only get two challenges, right? That can come up in the first inning,” the Tampa Bay Rays manager said.

Manager tantrums at umpires have long delighted fans: the Yankees’ Billy Martin kicking and throwing dirt on Dale Scott in 1988, Cincinnati’s Lou Piniella heaving first base into right field in anger at Dutch Rennert in 1990 and the Orioles' Earl Weaver going face to face with Bill Haller in 1980, each profanely calling the other a liar.

But Major League Baseball has given managers less to gripe about in the past two decades. Video reviews began for home run calls in August 2008 and were widely expanded to many decisions for the 2014 season. The Automated Ball-Strike System starts this year to allow challenges to human strike zone calls, dubbed robot umpires.

“Manager ejections have been down for a while now because of the replay system,” said Hall of Famer Jim Leyland, a three-time Manager of the Year tossed 73 times over 22 seasons. “I really like the ABS. I think it’s going to be great for the game.”

Last year, 61.5% of ejections among players, managers and coaches (99 of 161) were related to ball/strike calls, according to MLB, up slightly from 60.3% (114 of 189) in 2024. The figure included what MLB counted as inappropriate comments and conduct, and throwing equipment in protest.

“I’m in favor of anything that allows our technology to play in this game," Cash said. "We have so much of it. Why not use it?”

Each team gets two challenges per game, and a club keeps its challenge if successful. A team out of challenges gets an additional one in each extra inning.

“You’re going to take out the argument of balls and strikes initially,” Minnesota Twins manager Derek Shelton said. “I think the challenge is going to be after the challenges go away, how managers are and what they do? But I do think that there is going to be probably less general complaining about balls and strikes in the early going.”

Aaron Boone of the Yankees has led or tied for the most ejections in four straight seasons, and his nine in 2022 were the most since Atlanta's Bobby Cox was tossed 10 times in 2007.

Cox was thrown out a record 162 times, followed by John McGraw (121), Leo Durocher (100), Weaver (96), Tony La Russa (93) and Bruce Bochy (89).

Cincinnati's Terry Francona, starting his 25th season in a big league dugout, leads active managers with 54. Boone, beginning his ninth season, is second with 46.

Boone is less concerned over whether his dugout dissents will dwindle and more focused on keeping his players locked in if a challenge goes against them. If an umpire calls strike three to strand the bases loaded and the pitcher pumps a fist and bounds off the mound, how will the pitcher quickly regain composure if ABS reverses the call and forces a 3-2 offering?

“It's a whole new thing that pitchers have never dealt with. That’s an emotional thing you’ve got to deal with,” Boone said. “That’s something we’ve already addressed, same with the hitters to a lesser degree: that reset. How do you clear the mechanism?"

Bobby Valentine, who managed three major league teams over 16 seasons, will be honored by the New York Mets this May with a giveaway promotion commemorating one of his 44 ejections. After he was tossed by Randy Marsh on June 9, 1999, Valentine returned to the dugout with a fake mustache fashioned from eye black and sunglasses.

Valentine thinks players have evolved past the point where a manager could spark his team with a histrionic argument.

“I found that by the end of my career that that was only entertainment,” he said. "It didn’t fire anyone up except for my wife, who was worried about the fine that I was going to get.”

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

NEW YORK (AP) — Robot umpires are coming to the big leagues this year.

The Automated Ball/Strike System will be introduced in the form of a challenge system in which the human umpire makes each call, which can be appealed to the computer. Robot umpires have been tested in the minor leagues since 2019, with recent testing done at Triple-A since 2022, MLB spring training last year and at the 2025 All-Star Game in Atlanta.

Here's what to know about MLB's robot umps.

How does the Automated Ball-Strike System work?

Stadiums are outfitted with cameras that track each pitch and judge whether it crossed home plate within the strike zone. In early testing, umpires wore ear buds and would hear “ball” or “strike,” then relay that to players and fans with traditional hand signals.

The challenge system adds a wrinkle. Human umps call every pitch, but each team has the ability to challenge two calls per game. Teams that waste their challenges get one additional challenge in each extra inning. A team retains its challenge if successful, similar to the regulations for big league teams with video reviews, which were first used for home run calls in August 2008 and widely expanded to many calls for the 2014 season.

Only a batter, pitcher or catcher may challenge a call, signaling with the tap of a helmet or cap; and assistance from the dugout is not allowed. A challenge must be made within 2 seconds, and the graphic of the pitch and strike zone is shown on the scoreboard and broadcast feed. The umpire then announces the updated count.

Challenges during spring training last year averaged 13.8 seconds.

What is the technology?

A Hawk-Eye pose-tracking system of cameras tracks pitches and whether they are within a strike zone based on the height of each batter, who is measured without shoes. Each player will be measured for his strike zone starting at 10 a.m. to noon on a rolling basis during spring training — the time of day to maintain uniformity, because height shortens later in the day. Data will be verified by the Southwest Research Institute. MLB estimated the calibration process at less than one minute for each player.

While the strike zone actually called by big league umpires tends to be oval in shape, the ABS strike zone is a rectangle, as in the rule book.

Developing a consensus on what a computer strike zone was an issue.

So what is the MLB strike zone?

MLB has changed the shape of the ABS strike zone several times.

It started with a 19-inch width in 2022, then dropped it to 17 inches — matching the width of home plate. Narrowing the strike zone led to an increase in walks and only small changes in strikeout rates.

The top of the strike zone was 51% of a batter’s height in 2022 and 2023, then raised to 53.5% in 2024 after pitchers complained. The bottom of the strike zone has been 27% since 2022 after initially being set at 28%. A batter’s stance is not taken into account.

ABS makes the ball/strike decision at the midpoint of the plate, 8 1/2 inches from the front and 8 1/2 inches from the back. The contrasts with the rule book zone called by umpires, which says the zone is a cube and a strike is a pitch that crosses any part. Big league umpires call roughly 94% of pitches correctly, according to UmpScorecards.

Where has ABS been tested?

ABS, which utilizes Hawk-Eye cameras, has been tested in the minor leagues since 2019. The independent Atlantic League trialed the system at its 2019 All-Star Game and MLB installed the technology for that’s year Arizona Fall League of top prospects. The ABS was tried at eight of nine ballparks of the Low-A Southeast League in 2021, then moved up to Triple-A in 2022.

At Triple-A at the start of the 2023 season, half the games used the robots for ball/strike calls and half had a human making decisions subject to appeals by teams to the ABS.

MLB switched Triple-A to an all-challenge system on June 26, 2024, then used the challenge system last year at 13 spring training ballparks hosting 19 teams for a total of 288 exhibition games. Teams won 52.2% of their ball/strike challenges (617 of 1,182) challenges.

At last year's MLB All-Star Game, four of five challenges of plate umpire Dan Iassogna’s calls were successful.

How successful are teams at challenging?

Success rate have hovered around 50% in the minors. At Triple-A last season, the success rate dropped to 49.5% from 50.6%. Defenses — usually catchers — have been more successful, winning 53.7% of challenges compared to 45% by batters. Challenges increased to 4.2 from 3.9 per game.

In 2024 at Triple-A, just 1.6% of first pitches were challenged, but the figure increased to 3.9% for two-strike pitches, 5.2% for three-ball pitches and 8.2% for full counts.

Challenge percentages were higher later in the game. While 1.9% of pitches were challenged in the first three innings, 2.5% were challenged from the fourth through the sixth, 2.8% in the seventh and eighth and 3.6% in the ninth.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — Kevin Gausman got 709 called strikes over the past decade on pitches out of the strike zone, tied for the third highest total in the major leagues.

“I would have thought maybe I was top 20 maybe but top five is kind of kind of crazy,” the Toronto Blue Jays right-hander said. “I guess the book is kind of still out. We’ll see what happens and how we have to adjust.”

There will be winners and losers under the Automated Ball-Strike System, which makes its regular-season debut Wednesday night when the New York Yankees play at the San Francisco Giants. Using Hawk-Eye technology, 12 cameras measure whether a pitch crosses the strike zone with accuracy of about one-sixth of an inch.

Kyle Hendriks led the majors with 777 called strikes over the past decade on pitches that should have been balls, according to MLB Statcast. He was followed by Aaron Nola (747), Gausman and Zach Davies (709 each), Kyle Gibson (697), Patrick Corbin (694), Marcus Stroman (671), Zack Greinke (667), Martín Pérez (647) and Kyle Freeland (631).

“I guess that’s a good thing because you make balls look like strikes,” Nola said. “There's going to be some maybe good and bad to it, but I think the good parts and the big situations and big games, I that’s going to help out a lot. We've seen over the years our side lose games on a bad call.”

Conversely, Corbin topped the major leagues on balls that should have been called strikes with 470. He was followed by Chris Sale (461), Nola (460), Carlos Rodón (450), Yu Darvish (442), Sonny Gray (439), José Berríos (438), Steven Matz (436), and Jon Gray and Justin Verlander (435 apiece).

“All umpires always had like — they give a little bit here, they’re a little tight there. You know this as a hitter and a pitcher," said Verlander, a three-time Cy Young Award winner back with Detroit for the start of his 21st big league season. "But it’s all because of the way they set up and they see certain areas better than others. And now I think they’re put in a situation where they have to call this like theoretical zone, instead of creating their own strike zone that they’re probably much more consistent at.”

Mookie Betts led batters on called strikes that should have been balls at 714.

“He knows the strike zone as well as anyone and it does seem that he gets the short end of a lot of calls," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s a guy I certainly would trust to challenge a call.”

Betts was followed by Eugenio Suárez (684), José Ramírez (657), Paul Goldschmidt (656), Aaron Judge (653), Marcus Semien (631), Xander Bogaerts (625), Alex Bregman (603) and Christian Yelich (594).

“When we didn’t have a challenge system, you just try to do the best you could and understand that there’s stuff that’s out of your control,” Goldschmidt said. “Definitely the guys that are a little bit more patient are always going to have that. We just understand that’s kind of the nature of it.”

Giancarlo Stanton had 440 called strikes on pitchers out of the strike zone and 351 balls on pitches that should have been strikes.

“The challenge, you could change the whole game right there,” the New York Yankees designated hitter said. “If you overturn one call, it could grow 15, 20 more pitches on a pitcher.”

Carlos Santana received the most balls that should have been called strikes with 636. He was followed by Mike Trout (612), Suárez (558), Ramírez (554), George Springer (539), Andrew McCutchen (513), Cody Bellinger (487), Freddie Freeman (471), and Ryan McMahon (466).

Statcast has been calculating based on the rule book strike zone at the front of home plate and using a batter’s stance. Starting this year, it will compute with the ABS strike zone measured at the middle of the plate and based on a batter's height.

Teams tried to prepare players by using ABS for batting practice and having the scoreboard signal ball/strike decisions.

A 1-1 pitch often can swing a plate appearance. Nola saw ABS in use last August when he made three injury rehabilitation starts at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

“We’re just going to have to see what the umpires do,” he said, “if they’re really going to be that tight as they were down there.”

Statcast showed 1.6% of pitches out of the zone were called strikes last year, down from 2.1% in 2024 and the most accurate since 4.2% when tracking started in 2008.

Only 2.1% of pitches in the zone were ruled balls, up slightly from 1.7% in 2024 but well below 4.3% in 2008.

Pitchers who thrived on getting calls just beyond the black can lose those strikes, and memorable blown calls can be reversed — like Mark Langston’s 2-2 fastball to Tino Martinez in the 1998 World Series opener that was over the plate and above the knees but ruled a ball by since-retired umpire Richie Garcia. One pitch later, Martinez hit a tiebreaking grand slam, sparking the Yankees to a 9-6 win and four-game sweep.

Garcia doesn't wish that there had been ABS back then.

“I'd rather take the grief,” he said.

___

AP Baseball Writer Janie McCauley contributed to this report.

DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — Kevin Gausman got 709 called strikes over the past decade on pitches out of the strike zone, tied for the third highest total in the major leagues.

“I would have thought maybe I was top 20 maybe but top five is kind of kind of crazy,” the Toronto Blue Jays right-hander said. “I guess the book is kind of still out. We’ll see what happens and how we have to adjust.”

There will be winners and losers under the Automated Ball-Strike System, which makes its regular-season debut Wednesday night when the New York Yankees play at the San Francisco Giants. Using Hawk-Eye technology, 12 cameras measure whether a pitch crosses the strike zone with accuracy of about one-sixth of an inch.

Kyle Hendriks led the majors with 777 called strikes over the past decade on pitches that should have been balls, according to MLB Statcast. He was followed by Aaron Nola (747), Gausman and Zach Davies (709 each), Kyle Gibson (697), Patrick Corbin (694), Marcus Stroman (671), Zack Greinke (667), Martín Pérez (647) and Kyle Freeland (631).

“I guess that’s a good thing because you make balls look like strikes,” Nola said. “There's going to be some maybe good and bad to it, but I think the good parts and the big situations and big games, I that’s going to help out a lot. We've seen over the years our side lose games on a bad call.”

Conversely, Corbin topped the major leagues on balls that should have been called strikes with 470. He was followed by Chris Sale (461), Nola (460), Carlos Rodón (450), Yu Darvish (442), Sonny Gray (439), José Berríos (438), Steven Matz (436), and Jon Gray and Justin Verlander (435 apiece).

“All umpires always had like — they give a little bit here, they’re a little tight there. You know this as a hitter and a pitcher," said Verlander, a three-time Cy Young Award winner back with Detroit for the start of his 21st big league season. "But it’s all because of the way they set up and they see certain areas better than others. And now I think they’re put in a situation where they have to call this like theoretical zone, instead of creating their own strike zone that they’re probably much more consistent at.”

Mookie Betts led batters on called strikes that should have been balls at 714.

“He knows the strike zone as well as anyone and it does seem that he gets the short end of a lot of calls," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s a guy I certainly would trust to challenge a call.”

Betts was followed by Eugenio Suárez (684), José Ramírez (657), Paul Goldschmidt (656), Aaron Judge (653), Marcus Semien (631), Xander Bogaerts (625), Alex Bregman (603) and Christian Yelich (594).

“When we didn’t have a challenge system, you just try to do the best you could and understand that there’s stuff that’s out of your control,” Goldschmidt said. “Definitely the guys that are a little bit more patient are always going to have that. We just understand that’s kind of the nature of it.”

Giancarlo Stanton had 440 called strikes on pitchers out of the strike zone and 351 balls on pitches that should have been strikes.

“The challenge, you could change the whole game right there,” the New York Yankees designated hitter said. “If you overturn one call, it could grow 15, 20 more pitches on a pitcher.”

Carlos Santana received the most balls that should have been called strikes with 636. He was followed by Mike Trout (612), Suárez (558), Ramírez (554), George Springer (539), Andrew McCutchen (513), Cody Bellinger (487), Freddie Freeman (471), and Ryan McMahon (466).

Statcast has been calculating based on the rule book strike zone at the front of home plate and using a batter’s stance. Starting this year, it will compute with the ABS strike zone measured at the middle of the plate and based on a batter's height.

Teams tried to prepare players by using ABS for batting practice and having the scoreboard signal ball/strike decisions.

A 1-1 pitch often can swing a plate appearance. Nola saw ABS in use last August when he made three injury rehabilitation starts at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

“We’re just going to have to see what the umpires do,” he said, “if they’re really going to be that tight as they were down there.”

Statcast showed 1.6% of pitches out of the zone were called strikes last year, down from 2.1% in 2024 and the most accurate since 4.2% when tracking started in 2008.

Only 2.1% of pitches in the zone were ruled balls, up slightly from 1.7% in 2024 but well below 4.3% in 2008.

Pitchers who thrived on getting calls just beyond the black can lose those strikes, and memorable blown calls can be reversed — like Mark Langston’s 2-2 fastball to Tino Martinez in the 1998 World Series opener that was over the plate and above the knees but ruled a ball by since-retired umpire Richie Garcia. One pitch later, Martinez hit a tiebreaking grand slam, sparking the Yankees to a 9-6 win and four-game sweep.

Garcia doesn't wish that there had been ABS back then.

“I'd rather take the grief,” he said.

___

AP Baseball Writer Janie McCauley contributed to this report.