Robo-Umps Will Return For 2025 MLB All-Star Game: REACTIONS

Atlanta's Truist Park hosts the 2025 MLB All-Star Game, showcasing ‘robo umps’ for the first time in a non-spring training MLB game. 

MLB dropped the major news over a week before the ASG, which is finally headed to Atlanta after the infamous 2021 cancellation by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.

"The ABS system powered by T-Mobile's 5G network utilizes the Hawk-Eye system to track a pitch's trajectory and location to relay an immediate verdict on whether it was a ball or a strike," the league relayed on Wednesday, announcing the ABS change.

The Automated Ball-Strike System, tested in MLB spring games, steps into the national spotlight, rendering those pesky umpires essentially powerless. The long-debated ABS, designed to call balls and strikes with precision, advances toward official MLB action. Since 2021, ABS has been used in games in the minor leagues. 

DENVER, CO - JULY 6:  Hunter Goodman #15 of the Colorado Rockies is acknowledged on the scoreboard after being selected for the 2025 All-Star Game during a break in the action in the eighth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Coors Field on July 6, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

Still, the rise of robo-umps has sparked a divide between traditionalists and modern fans.

By bypassing human umpires, ABS undermines the catcher’s art of pitch framing and fuels calls to restrict its use to challenges.

For many fans, the human element of home plate umpiring has lost its appeal. MLB’s pitch clock, widely praised for enhancing fan enjoyment, has opened the door to rule experiments. Supporters of ABS liken it to the pitch clock, arguing it sharpens the game’s fairness and pace.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reacted: "The response to ABS reminds me of the initial response to the pitch clock. The it's-gonna-ruin-the-game crowd is out in full force, but eventually they come around to recognize: The game is better for it. There will be growing pains, yes, but the system will be a net positive."

Since June of this year, Rob Manfred has expressed optimism about further integrating ABS in 2026.

READ: New Details On MLB's Robo Umps Test Released

"I do think that we’re going to pursue the possibility of changing that process, and we’ll see what comes out at the end of that," Manfred said. 

"I think that teams are really positive about ABS. You know, I do have that unscientific system that I use — my email traffic — and my distinct impression is that using ABS in spring training has made people more prone to complain about balls and strike calls via email, to me, referencing the need for ABS. That is undoubtedly true, undoubtedly true."

Fans reacted to the news of ABS coming to the All-Star Game in Atlanta, scheduled for July 15.

"I still like the old school ump calls even when they are wrong. It’s kinda part of the game," one fan said in reaction to the announcement on X.

"Use it in the second half of the season," an opposing fan begged.

REACTIONS:

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