When baseball resumes from its ongoing COVID-19 pause, umpires will be able to communicate the outcomes of replays and big calls directly to fans in the stadium and those watching at home, as is done in the NFL and NHL.
“You’re gonna have that,” retired MLB umpire Dale Scott said during Sportsnet’s Blue Jays Watch Party on Friday night. “The new contract with the umpires this year, the crew chiefs will be explaining all replays, just like the NFL.
“It’s happening. The only reason we haven’t done it yet is because of this virus.”
Scott added that in conversations he’d had with Dan Iassogna — a current MLB crew chief — umpires were being taught how to use the microphone to address the television audience and in-stadium crowd.
“Once we finally get some baseball back, you’re going to be hearing the crew chiefs explaining plays,” Scott said.
Baseball’s season had been set to start March 26 but spring training was halted on March 12. After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended restricting events of more than 50 people for eight weeks, MLB said it would not open until mid-May at the earliest.
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