Atlantic League to use ABS to call pitches for rest of season

The Atlantic League, an independent baseball league that includes the Long Island Ducks, will use the Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS) to call balls and strikes for the remainder of its season, the league announced on Tuesday.

The ABS was used for the first time for the Atlantic League All-Star Game earlier this month. The Atlantic League has an experimental rule-testing agreement with Major League Baseball.

“This is a landmark day for the Atlantic League and professional baseball,” Atlantic League president Rick White said in a statement. “After successfully unveiling the ABS at our All-Star Game in York, Pa., and following positive feedback from managers, players, umpires and fans, we are eager to implement the consistent strike zone accuracy offered by ABS technology.”

The Atlantic League will start using the ABS on Thursday at games hosted by the High Point Rockers, Lancaster Barnstormers and Ducks. The Ducks will host the New Britain Bees on Thursday at 6:35 p.m. at Bethpage Ballpark in Central Islip.

According to the release from the Atlantic League, home plate umpires will be assisted with calling balls and strikes by the ABS. Home plate umpires will wear an earpiece to relay the ball or strike call after receiving it from the ABS, which utilizes radar technology. Umpires will continue to use their judgement for other issues such as check swings and also will perform their other normal duties.

Newsday reported earlier this month that the use of the ABS in the first half of the Atlantic League season had been delayed to allow for installation of the system and training for umpires. The ABS had been tested during the first half of the Atlantic League season but wasn’t officially used. — MIKE ROSE

Dodger Stadium to get $100 million renovation

The Los Angeles Dodgers plan to welcome the All-Star Game back to Dodger Stadium with a $100 million renovation of their landmark ballpark.

The Dodgers unveiled the logo for next year’s Midsummer Classic along with their latest modernization plans Tuesday for their 57-year-old home, the majors’ third-oldest park.

“We want to stay traditional with regard to baseball, but we also want to have up-to-date renovations for the next generation of fans,” said Stan Kasten, the Dodgers’ president and CEO.

The primary addition will be a Centerfield Plaza area spanning nearly 2 acres behind the outfield fences, creating what Kasten described as a “front door” to the famously tough-to-access hillside park. The plaza will include food, entertainment and a statue of Sandy Koufax, which will join a statue of Jackie Robinson already on the property.

The Dodgers also are constructing new elevators, escalators and bridges to allow easier movement around the park. Fans have traditionally relied on lengthy staircases to move between levels.

The entire park will be connected by the bridges between the new pavilions and plaza, allowing fans to walk all the way around the ballpark on the same level for the first time. Kasten also assured fans that the park’s iconic view of the San Gabriel Mountains beyond the outfield fences won’t be affected in the slightest.

While most of the renovations will be completed by opening day, the new statue of Koufax will be formally dedicated at some point during the season.

“We’re going to take every minute we need to get it done, but it’s going to be done by opening day,” Kasten said of the renovations, which will commence in November.