QuesTec

Last updated

QuesTec was a digital media company that pioneered virtual replay from real-time measurement data for baseball and tennis. Years before competitors introduced similar products, QuesTec had established a reputation for accuracy and reliability. Although originally based on internally developed technology, in 1998 QuesTec moved to tracking technology provided by engineers at the Atlantic Aerospace Electronics Corporation (now a division of L3Harris) led by project manager and group director Paul Baim. QuesTec is best known for its Umpire Information System (UIS), used by Major League Baseball for the purpose of providing feedback and evaluation of Major League umpires.

Contents

The QuesTec company, based out of Deer Park, New York, was mostly involved in television replay and graphics throughout its history. In 2001, however, the company signed a 5-year contract with Major League Baseball to use its pitch tracking technology as a means to review the performance of home plate umpires during baseball games. The contract continued through the 2008 season through annual extensions.

The Umpire Information System

The UIS consists of four cameras placed around a ballpark that feed into a computer network and record the locations of pitches throughout the course of a game. Two of the cameras are located high in the stands above the 1st and 3rd base lines to track the trajectory of each pitch. The other two are located at field level and record the stance of the batter so the top and bottom of the strike zone can be set. Computer software then generates CDs that umpires and MLB executives can review and learn from. These CDs include video of the pitches as well as graphic representations of their locations plus feedback on the umpires' accuracy. Paul Baim and the UIS were featured in a 2002 segment of PBS's Scientific American Frontiers called "Baseball Tech".

When first introduced, controversy over the Umpire Information System quickly developed as umpires and players alike voiced concern over the system's accuracy and the fact that limited deployment (6 parks in the first year) might not guarantee uniform umpiring in the remaining parks. In its early trial period, baseball analysts questioned whether QuesTec was producing the consistency in umpiring that was supposed to occur. [1] A report by a QuesTec operator a year later suggested that the system still needed to be tweaked. [2] The controversy was fueled, in part, by several attempts by the World Umpires Association (WUA) to have the system removed through legal action, culminating in a dispute filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Meanwhile, a more hands-on approach was taken by former Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Curt Schilling; Schilling used a bat to smash one of QuesTec's field cameras after being told by an umpire that he wanted to call some of his pitches strikes, but QuesTec made him call them balls, an act that led to a fine for the pitcher. The NLRB grievance was dropped by the WUA as part of the contract negotiations with MLB after the 2005 season, ending the legal challenges to the system.

As the UIS controversy died down and the statistics accumulated, it became clear that the UIS was accomplishing its basic goals of narrowing the strike zone closer to the width of the plate and returning both lower and higher strikes that were typically not called before the system was introduced. [3] In addition, the claims that the system would "ruin the game" have not been fulfilled, as both pitching and hitting statistics in "QuesTec ballparks" have been consistent with comparable statistics for non-QuesTec parks, and players have adapted to the changes brought by the system. As of the end of the 2008 season, the system had analyzed more than 4,800 games. An article assessing Questec's legacy, 20 years after Questec's technology debuted, declared the system had achieved its mission to establish a standardized strike zone consistent with the rule book definition. [4]

The company appears to have ceased operations, as other companies and technologies proved competitive, and is no longer listed on the OTC stock exchange. Never the less, the term 'questec' is still heard throughout Major League Baseball as the generic term for pitch location technology.

QuesTec stadiums

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 World Series</span> 97th edition of Major League Baseballs championship series

The 2001 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2001 season. The 97th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Arizona Diamondbacks and the three-time defending World Series champions and American League (AL) champion New York Yankees. The underdog Diamondbacks defeated the heavily favored Yankees, four games to three to win the series. Considered one of the greatest World Series of all time, its memorable aspects included two extra-inning games and three late-inning comebacks. Diamondbacks pitchers Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling were both named World Series Most Valuable Players.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strike zone</span> Target zone for a pitched baseball

In baseball, the strike zone is the area of space through which a pitch must pass in order to be called a strike even if the batter does not swing. The strike zone is defined as the volume of space above home plate and between the batter's knees and the midpoint of their torso. Whether a pitch passes through the zone is decided by an umpire, who is generally positioned behind the catcher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic League of Professional Baseball</span> Independent professional baseball league founded in 1998

The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's corporate headquarters is located at Clipper Magazine Stadium in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curt Schilling</span> American baseball player (born 1966)

Curtis Montague Schilling is an American former Major League Baseball right handed pitcher and commentator for media outlet BlazeTV. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a World Series appearance in 1993, and won championships in 2001 with the Arizona Diamondbacks and in 2004 and 2007 with the Boston Red Sox, being named a co-winner of the World Series MVP in 2001. Schilling retired with a career postseason record of 11–2, and his .846 postseason winning percentage is a major-league record among pitchers with at least ten decisions. He is a member of the 3,000 strikeout club and has the highest strikeout-to-walk ratio of any of its inactive members. He is tied at third place for the most 300-strikeout seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Johnson</span> American baseball player (born 1963)

Randall David Johnson, nicknamed "the Big Unit", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (1988–2009) for six teams, primarily the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ground rule double</span> A baseball rule that awards two bases due to the ball leaving play

A ground rule double is a baseball rule that awards two bases from the time of pitch to all baserunners including the batter-runner, as a result of the ball leaving play after being hit fairly and leaving the field under a condition of the ground rules in effect at the field where the game is being played. An automatic double is the term used to refer to a fairly hit ball leaving the field in circumstances that do not merit a home run, such as when the ball's first bounce was within the field. The automatic double is commonly called a ground rule double.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirk Rueter</span> American baseball player (born 1970)

Kirk Wesley Rueter, nicknamed "Woody", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the San Francisco Giants. He also played for the Montreal Expos who had drafted him in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005 American League Championship Series</span> 36th edition of Major League Baseballs American League Championship Series

The 2005 American League Championship Series (ALCS), the second round of the American League side in Major League Baseball's 2005 postseason, which determined the 2005 American League champion, matched the Central Division champion and top-seeded Chicago White Sox against the West Division champion and second-seeded Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The White Sox, by virtue of having the best record in the AL during the 2005 season, had the home-field advantage. The White Sox won the series four games to one to become the American League champions, and faced the Houston Astros in the 2005 World Series, in which the White Sox swept the Astros in four games to win their first World Series championship in 88 years; as a result of the 2005 All-Star Game played in Detroit, Michigan at Comerica Park on July 12, the White Sox had home-field advantage in the World Series. The series was notable both for a controversial call in Game 2 of the series, and the outstanding pitching and durability of Chicago's starting rotation, pitching four consecutive complete games; the +2⁄3 of an inning Neal Cotts pitched in the first game was the only work the White Sox bullpen saw the entire series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ground rules</span>

Ground rules are rules applying to the field, objects on and near it, and special situations relating to them, in the game of baseball. Major League Baseball has defined a set of "universal ground rules" that apply to all MLB ballparks; individual ballparks have the latitude to set ground rules above and beyond the universal ground rules, as long as they do not directly contradict each other. Additionally, a set of universal ground rules exists for the six MLB stadiums with retractable roofs, with the individual ballparks able to set additional rules.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ángel Hernández (umpire)</span> Cuban baseball umpire (born 1961)

Ángel Hernández is a Cuban-American former professional baseball umpire. He worked in the National League from 1991 to 1999 and worked throughout Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2000 until his retirement in May 2024. Hernández was involved in several controversial incidents and was widely criticized by players, coaches, and fans throughout his career.

<i>ESPN Major League Baseball</i> Promotion of Major League Baseball on ESPN

ESPN Major League Baseball is an American presentation of live Major League Baseball (MLB) games produced by ESPN. ESPN's MLB broadcasts have also aired on sister networks and platforms ESPN2, ABC and ESPN+.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Kulpa</span> American baseball umpire (born 1968)

Ronald Clarence Kulpa is an American umpire in Major League Baseball. He wears uniform number 46.

The following is a chronological list of the technological advancements of Major League Baseball television broadcasts:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 Arizona Diamondbacks season</span> Major League Baseball season

The 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks season was the franchise's 4th season in Major League Baseball and their 4th season at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix, Arizona, as members of the National League West.

PITCHf/x is a system created and maintained by Sportvision that tracks the speeds and trajectories of pitched baseballs. This system, which made its debut in the 2006 Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason, is installed in every MLB stadium. The data from the system is often used by broadcasters to show a visual representation of the pitch and whether or not a pitch entered the strike zone. PITCHf/x is also used to determine the type of pitch thrown, such as a fastball, curveball or slider. MLB uses the data from PITCHf/x in its Zone Evaluation System which is used to grade and provide feedback to umpires. Sabermetric analysts note that umpire accuracy has improved after the technology was introduced to MLB.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Instant replay in Major League Baseball</span> Method for MLB officials to review on-field decisions

Major League Baseball (MLB) uses instant replay review to allow league officials to review certain types of plays in order to determine the accuracy of the initial call of the umpires on the field. Reviews may be initiated either by a team's manager with limitations or by the umpires themselves. All instant replay reviews are examined by umpires at the Replay Command Center in New York City, who have the final decision as to whether to uphold or overturn the initial call.

The 1999 Major League Umpires Association mass resignation was a labor tactic used by 68 Major League Baseball (MLB) umpires, including 66 members of the Major League Umpires Association (MLUA), the official umpires union at the time. Unable to strike because they had a labor agreement in place at the time, 57 umpires formally resigned by orchestrated letters in an attempt to force negotiations with MLB for a new labor agreement. The American and National Leagues instead immediately hired new umpires and accepted 22 of the resignations. The union membership became fractured on the issue, and the umpires tried to rescind their resignations, but the MLUA was unsuccessful in retaining the jobs of the 22 umpires and the resignations were seen as final. The incident led to the decertification of the MLUA and the formation of a new union, the World Umpires Association (WUA), now the Major League Baseball Umpires Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statcast</span> Statistical analysis tool developed for and used by Major League Baseball

Statcast is an automated tool developed to analyze player movements and athletic abilities in Major League Baseball (MLB).

References

  1. ↑ Silver, Nate; Woolner, Keith (June 5, 2003). "QuesTec Not Yet Showing Consistency from Umpires". ESPN.com . Retrieved October 26, 2012.
  2. ↑ Karegeannes, Jason (August 10, 2004). "Confessions of a Questec Operator: How the System Works, How It Can Be Improved". Baseball Prospectus . Retrieved October 26, 2012.
  3. ↑ Gassko, David (February 1, 2007). "The Outside Corner". HardBallTimes.com. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
  4. ↑ Lemire, Joe (November 9, 2017). "QuesTec's Legacy, 20 Years Later: A Standard, Thinner, Lower Strike Zone". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.