Lidom modernizes its baseball: The ABS system arrives for the 2026-2027 season
The Dominican Professional Baseball League (Lidom) has taken a transcendental step toward innovation. Its president, Vitelio Mejía, confirmed that starting with the 2026-2027 season, the Automated Balls and Strikes System (ABS) will be officially implemented, a technology designed to increase accuracy in on-field officiating.
This technological update responds to the need to keep the Dominican league at the highest competitive standards. According to Mejía, evolution is a key piece to ensure the prestige and relevance of local baseball today.
If we want to continue being an important league, we have to keep up with technology.
Vitelio Mejía, president of Lidom
How will the challenge system work?
The ABS system uses advanced tracking tools to determine with precision if a pitch passes through the strike zone. Its integration into Lidom will allow the game’s protagonists to have a say in umpire decisions through a challenge scheme:
- Each team will have two challenge opportunities per match.
- If the review is favorable to the team that requested the challenge, they will retain their challenge opportunity.
- The technology will be connected directly to the broadcast units and stadium screens to inform the fans.
Currently, the project is in an intensive testing phase. The stadiums in Santo Domingo and La Romana have been selected as key venues to evaluate the system’s performance before its final deployment. This initiative is supported by Major League Baseball (MLB), ensuring that technical standards meet international requirements.
Details of the upcoming championship
The upcoming 2026-2027 campaign, which will be played for the Banreservas Cup, already has its roadmap defined. The tournament, dedicated to the memory of Héctor Rizek Llabaly, is scheduled to begin on Friday, October 16, and will conclude its regular season on December 22.
With the arrival of the ABS, Lidom not only reduces controversies in the counting of balls and strikes, but also offers a fairer and more dynamic experience for players, umpires, and all the fans who follow Dominican winter baseball.
