Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred joins Dan Patrick on The Dan Patrick Show. He weighs in on the life and career of recently deceased legendary Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela and MLB’s plans to honor him during the World Series. He is very happy with how this season turned out after the new rule changes and the Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal back in March. And he confirms that an automated strike zone will be tested in Spring Training and will likely be implemented in the big leagues sooner rather than later.
Rob Manfred: “We’re going to test this challenge system in Spring Training with Major League players...We’re going to try to determine whether the system we have is up to snuff to be used by Major League players.”
Dan Patrick: “Is it inevitable we’re going to have automatic balls and strikes in your opinion? During your next four years, will we have automated strike zone?”
Rob Manfred: “I think you will see some version of the automated strike zone in the big leagues in the next four years.”
Dan Patrick: “If I would have told you in March. ‘Hey, you’re going to get through the Shohei Ohtani situation and you’re going to have the Yankees and the Dodgers in the World Series,’ you would have said what?”
Rob Manfred: “It’s about time I caught a break!”
Dan Patrick: [LAUGHTER]