The Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates made history on Tuesday when they became the first teams to play an official Major League Baseball game without an umpire. In the bottom of the ninth inning, with the Orioles trailing the Pirates 7-4, both teams agreed to keep playing without an umpire present.
The umpires had left the field in the top of the ninth, after Baltimore’s Josh Lester grounded out to end the inning. But Pirates manager Derek Shelton and Baltimore skipper Brandon Hyde had a quick discussion and agreed to keep playing. The Orioles wanted to get some work on the mound for right-hander Ofreidy Gómez, and the teams occasionally agree to shorten or lengthen spring training games depending on needs.
With the umpires gone, the balls and strikes were called by the catcher, just like is done in so many backyard games. Maverick Handley, a non-roster invitee who has never played about the Double-A level, was behind the plate for the Orioles.
This novel situation could become more commonplace in the future. With robo umps, teams could play actual games without an umpire present. Robo umps use sophisticated technology to accurately call balls and strikes, though it remains to be seen if Major League Baseball will ever adopt the technology for official games.
The Orioles and Pirates’ game without an umpire was certainly an interesting experiment, and it will be interesting to see if any other teams decide to follow suit. For now, it’s a unique piece of baseball history.
