Yankees' Boone opposes robot umpires amid trial

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone has expressed his discontent with the automated ball-strike system (ABS) currently being trialed during spring training, stating he does not 'love it.' Although he appreciates the 'theater' aspect of reviews displayed on the scoreboard, he is concerned about the system diminishing the value of catcher framing, a strength for the Yankees. Boone also feels that the frequency of challenges, which allows teams to review ball and strike calls twice per game, disrupts the flow of play. He suggested a potential change to allow teams one challenge from the seventh inning onward for critical moments. Boone emphasized that he believes current umpires are improving and prefers not to change the existing system. His remarks raise questions about the future implementation of ABS in Major League Baseball, expected as early as next season.