Instant replay in Major League Baseball
MLB was the last of the four major North American professional sports leagues to implement an instant replay review system.
The umpire crew chief is also allowed to initiate a review during any inning if the play in question is a boundary home run call.
When a play is reviewed, at least two umpires (including the crew chief) will go to an area behind home plate where they will meet a technician.
There are a few exceptions to this time limit however, including placement of runners, multiple challenges, technology issues, rules application, and director discretion.
[5] Instant replay in MLB actually had been used once before in the 1999 season during a Florida Marlins home game at Pro Player Stadium.
"The system we have in place will ensure that the proper call is made on home run balls and will not cause a significant delay to the game.
"[9] MLB was the last of the four major United States professional sports leagues to implement an instant replay review system.
[10] Replay made its official, sanctioned MLB debut at Tropicana Field on September 3, 2008, after Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees hit a ball near the left-field foul pole that was initially ruled a home run by third base umpire Brian Runge.
Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon and catcher Dioner Navarro argued that the ball was foul and asked for a review.
After a conversation among the umpires, crew chief Charlie Reliford allowed the replay to take place and after review, upheld the home run call.
On September 19, 2008, in the bottom of the 4th inning with two runners on base, Carlos Peña of the Rays hit the ball just over the fence in right field.
On March 16, 2009, during the 2009 World Baseball Classic, instant replay was requested for the first time in the tournament's history at Dolphin Stadium to give Venezuela a home run against Puerto Rico.
[13] Instant replay instead made its WBC debut during the 2013 World Baseball Classic, as umpires upheld a home run call during a Mexico vs. USA game.
In the fourth inning of Game 3 of the World Series, Alex Rodriguez hit a ball that bounced off the camera in right field.
Initially called as a double, the umpires reviewed the play, and determined that had the camera not been in its location, the ball probably would have left the park, and a home run was awarded to Rodriguez, making the score 3-2.
On September 7, 2011, MLB VP of Baseball Operations Joe Torre denied the first ever protest associated with authorized instant replay usage.
Following the conclusion of the 2013 World Series, MLB announced it would test expanded instant replay as proposed for 2014 for a week's slate of games in the Arizona Fall League.
In total, four plays were reviewed during the debut game, with instant replay affirming the umpire's on-field call all four times.
[24] Two days later, on January 16, MLB officially announced the approval of expanded instant replay for use during the 2014 season, whose terms were modified after negotiations with the MLBPA and WUA.
When situations where the manager comes out on the field to await a decision from a team video coordinator are included, MLB estimates the percentage of calls overturned decreases to 21%.
Managers could hold play from the top step of the dugout by signaling to players and the home plate umpire that they are considering a challenge.
To challenge an inning-ending call, managers are required to leave the dugout immediately in order to hold the defensive team on the field.
However, in the event that a manager is out of challenges after the start of the seventh inning, the crew chief may still choose to review whether there was a violation of the rule.
Instant replay was not utilized during 2015 spring training, but it was in place for exhibition games at Major League ballparks prior to the start of the 2015 regular season.
