How Austin Hedges turned the robot umpire from a career threat into his greatest asset

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Austin Hedges built his career on an art form. The ability to steal strikes. To frame borderline pitches so precisely that umpires see a ball and register it as a strike. It’s invisible, unglamorous work — but it’s what kept Hedges employed in Major League Baseball for over a decade. Then the robot came for his job. The ABS (Automated Ball-Strike) challenge system, deployed ...