New York Mets say they follow all MLB rules after pitcher accuses club of using AI to call pitches
Interim manager Andy Green insists the team is fully compliant, but Adam Ottavino's allegation raises a harder question: where exactly does MLB draw the line on AI in the dugout?
Key points
- New York Mets interim manager Andy Green stated on Saturday that the club is fully compliant with all Major League Baseball rules on artificial intelligence use.
- Pitcher Adam Ottavino alleged the Mets used AI to influence in-game pitching choices.
- Major League Baseball has recently restricted the functions available on the iPads teams use in dugouts during games.
- The league, not individual clubs, decides what AI tools are permitted during play.
The New York Mets are pushing back on a story that had baseball fans doing a double-take. Pitcher Adam Ottavino claimed the club was using artificial intelligence (computer software that spots patterns and makes recommendations) to guide pitch-calling during live games. That's a significant allegation at a time when baseball's governing body is actively tightening its rules on dugout technology.
Interim manager Andy Green addressed it plainly before Saturday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. "Whatever the rules are, we remain fully compliant and Major League Baseball makes those determinations," he said. No apology, no detail.
The story, first reported by The Guardian, lands at a sensitive moment. MLB recently cut back what the iPad tablets in dugouts can do during games, a sign the league knows the technology question is live and pressing.
What would AI-assisted pitch-calling look like in practice? A coach glances at a screen that's already crunched thousands of at-bats and is telling him: throw a cutter low and outside to this batter in this count. A human still throws the ball, but the suggestion comes from a machine rather than gut instinct or a printed scouting report. Whether that crosses a line depends entirely on what MLB's rulebook currently allows, and that rulebook is apparently a moving target.
Green's response puts the compliance question squarely back on the league. If MLB says it's fine, the Mets say they're fine. That's a defensible position, but it doesn't settle whether AI nudges belong in a sport that prizes split-second human judgement.
Should fans at home be worried?
For now, nothing changes in the stands or on your sofa. The Mets aren't admitting wrongdoing and MLB hasn't sanctioned anyone. But this story almost certainly isn't about one team. Every club has analysts and data feeds, and the real story is whether baseball will draw a clear, public line on AI assistance before the practice becomes invisible and universal. The ruling that'll actually matter is an official MLB statement spelling out what counts as permitted analysis and what crosses into banned in-game AI use.
