MLB to Test Expanded Instant Replay in New York Games

MLB will test expanded instant replay systems during games at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field next week, though at this stage, the technology will not affect any in-game calls, according to a Yahoo! Sports report.

The advanced systems, which have been installed at New York stadiums to minimize cost during the test-only phase, will consist of one radar-based and one camera-based system. Both the radar and camera systems resemble Hawk-Eye, the instant replay system presently used to judge balls hit down the line in tennis.

MLB's Network Operations Center, Manhattan. Warga/News

Though the new baseball CBA included proposals to expand instant replay to include Fair/Foul, Catch/No Catch (Trap) and Stadium-wide Fan Interference calls, MLB declined to expand the scope of instant replay for the 2012 season, citing a lack of logistical and realistic ways of implementing the technology.

Still, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig predicted, "We're now going to add [instant replay] on trapped balls ... [and] bullets hit down the first and third base lines."

If tests in New York, which will serve as tools for analysis and observation only, are successful, expect instant replay—estimated to cost between $30 and $40 million—to once again be in the winter discussion.

News: Exclusive: MLB to test two different advanced replay systems during games next week (Yahoo!)