HIGH POINT, N.C. — You could call it 'user error,' but High Point Rockers pitching coach Frank Viola wanted to hit the reset button on a computer-generated umpire in one clip that's circulating baseball sites on the web.
Viola became a household name in the '80s helping the Minnesota Twins win a World Series and capturing a Cy Young Award. Now he has a new accolade to add to his resume.
Viola became the first known coach to get ejected over disagreeing with TrackMan, the electronic strike zone, in a recent game against the York Revolution. Viola disagreed with several balls/strikes calls in the bottom of the first and let the home plate umpire know his displeasure.
'Who or what was in charge??' Viola tweeted after the game. 'Major problem. Let each team know at all times what's going on...'
The Atlantic League rulebook says the umpires have the right to overrule TrackMan, an automated system that calls balls and strikes, if they deem a call egregious. That's what Viola was apparently arguing for after what he deemed some incorrect calls. TrackMan was recently introduced in the Atlantic League just days before.
The use of automated strike zones has been a much-discussed idea in professional baseball circles for years. This incident is not likely to convince anyone who's on the fence about completely dumping umpires.
Viola was a three-time All-Star, winning World Series MVP with the Minnesota Twins in 1987 and a Cy Young Award in 1988.
This is the second time the Rockers have made national news after earlier in the season, a Triad man went viral for a poor rendition of the National Anthem.
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