COOPERSTOWN, N.Y., Aug. 15 (UPI) -- Commissioner Bud Selig announced Thursday Major League Baseball hopes to expand the use of instant replay for the 2014 season.
Although the plan must still be agreed to by 75 percent of baseball's owners, Selig spoke as if the expansion of replay technology was a foregone conclusion. He made the announcement during the quarterly meeting of owners at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Replay is currently used only to determine whether a batted ball was or was not a home run.
That will be expanded to include all calls by umpires except balls and strikes, and the system will be triggered by a manager's challenge. Each manager will have one opportunity to challenge a call through the first six innings and then will have two more challenges for the rest of the contest.
A successful challenge will allow the manager to retain it to use again, although the challenge in the first six innings will not carry over to later in the contest.
"Baseball can dramatically reduce the number of incorrect calls that impact the outcome of a game and hence the outcome of division races," said Atlanta Braves President John Scherholz, a member of baseball's replay committee. "We believe that not only is it historic, but it will be impactful and very meaningful and useful."
The owners will vote on the proposal in November and it must also be approved by MLB's player association and the World Umpires Association.
