Atlantic League baseball experiments with stealing first base and 'robot' balls and strikes – a sign of things to come

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) — The independent Atlantic League will experiment with allowing batters to "steal" first base.

After debuting a "robot" plate umpire in its All-Star Game, the league on Wednesday announced four more changes for the second half of its season. Most notably, a batter may run to first and try to beat the throw after any pitch not caught in flight. The batter would be out if he is beaten by the throw or is tagged before touching first.

In addition, a pitcher will be required to step off the rubber for pickoff attempts, a batter will be allowed one foul, two-strike bunt before a strikeout is called and plate umpires will define check swings more favorably for a batter.

The league has been experimenting all season with 18-inch bases, which shorten the distance between home and first by 3 inches.