Tuesday night marked a historical moment for professional baseball when the San Rafael Pacifics took on the Vallejo Admirals in Marin County. A technology system was implemented into the Minor League game that ruled on the validity of each pitch, taking the role of the home plate umpire.
The technology comprised of three cameras with built-in tracking systems connected to a computer, which would determine a ball or strike on each pitch. Two cameras were mounted at the upper corner of the grandstands behind the plate and the other was placed in center field.
Each tracking camera records the pitch from the time it leaves the pitcher’s hand until it crosses the plate, and then it sends that information to the tracking system to calculate and store the digital record of the pitch – including speed, location, and trajectory.