MLB Expanded Replay and How it Works

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Since August 2008 there has been limited instant replay in Major League Baseball. Since then, the idea of expanding the range of plays that instant replay covers has been part of the conversation. After a 2013 season of poor umpiring and missed calls, it was announced Thursday by MLB Commissioner Bud Selig that the use of expanded replay had been approved for the 2014 season by the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), the World Umpires Association and all 30 MLB teams.

How does this new system actually work? What are the changes? How many challenges does a manager get? What types of plays are allowed to be reviewed? Who reviews them? And who makes the final decision?

Expanded Replay will cover 90 percent of all plays in the game, officially 13 different types. Here, as posted on MLB.com by Paul Hagan, is a quick description of each of the thirteen plays that may be challenged by the club’s manager

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MLB Expanded Replay Benefits the Game .... Here's Why!

On August 28, 2008 the use of instant replay was officially instituted into Major League Baseball’s official rules. It’s use was limited to the discretion of the umpires on the field who made the call in the first place. It was restricted to only plays related to whether a home run had actually left the playing field, if there was the possibility of fan interference or if the potential home run was fair or foul.

For the past few years the idea of the use of expanded replay has been thrown around MLB as a possibility. In 2013, which should be known as the year of missed calls and bad umpires, the talk got a bit more serious. Yesterday all 30 MLB clubs, the World Umpires Association and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) voted unanimously to launch the use of expanded replay in 2014.

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