9 is an Odd Number

Figure 1. Future baseball, generated by Gemini.

 I occasionally blog about baseball from a science fiction perspective. Most recently, I experimented with AI-generated images of robots swinging a baseball bat. Last night, baseball fans were treated to the following:

“With the Phillies’ season hanging in the balance in a tie game in the bottom of the 11th inning Thursday night in Game 4 of the NLDS, Kerkering faced Andy Pages with the bases loaded and two outs.

The righty reliever induced a routine comebacker, but he could not field it cleanly with the ball bouncing off his foot and Kerkering having to retrieve it in front of the mound.

In the scramble, he had time to throw to first base for the inning-ending out but he instead fired the ball wide and completely out of the reach of catcher J.T. Realmuto, allowing the Dodgers to score the winning run in the 2-1 victory that ended the Phillies’ season.

The gut-wrenching mistake left Kerkering hunched over with his hands on his knees.” (source)

 2250. Imagine this science fiction scenario. The year is 2250 and Major League Baseball adopts the Designated Fielder rule. Under the Designated Fielder rule, teams have 10 players on the field. The Designated Fielder stands immediately behind the pitcher's mound. After the pitcher throws a pitch, he is teleported off of the playing field, leaving the Designated Fielder to field the pitcher's position. For all fielding of a hit ball in the vicinity of the pitcher's mound, the Designated Fielder performs the the required fielding actions and the pitcher is relegated to backing up either third base or home plate. 

Figure 2. 2250 baseball field diagram.

From the 2225 MLB Rule Book: The pitcher is automatically teleported to an empty reception room inside the club house as soon as the baseball leaves the hand of the pitcher. The reception room is optimized as a landing zone for the pitcher, where the pitcher completes the motions that normally accompany throwing a pitch. 

On the wall of the reception room is a display screen showing what is happening on the playing field. When the pitcher has completed the motions associated with the pitch, he can then select his teleportation target, sending himself by a second teleportation event to either the Backup 1 (BU1) or the Backup 2 (BU2) position on the field (see the diagram in Figure 2). Note: this second teleportation event only takes place if the target position is clear and open. The pitcher will be wearing an MLB-approved electronic device that allows him to receive an audio signal coming from the catcher. That device will allow both 1) the catcher to tell the pitcher which pitch to throw next, but the catcher can also 2) offer the pitcher real-time advice on the decision about teleporting to BU1 or BU2.

Me: Generate a science fictional account of how the Kerkering fielding play would occur with the Designated Fielder rule.

Gemini:  Teams. (1) The Philadelphia Phantoms (descendants of the Phillies, now enhanced) and (2) the Los Angeles Star-Dodgers.  

Situation. Bottom of the 11th inning, Game 4 of the NLDS. Score tied. Bases loaded, two outs. Andy Pages (Star-Dodgers) at the plate.

Figure 3. Gemini-generated Designated Fielder.

The holographic crowd shimmered with an electric hum, their cheers a compressed digital roar in the Phantoms' clubhouse reception room. On the mound, Phantoms' closer, Orion "The Comet" Kerkering, a blur of specialized motion-capture composites and nanoweave uniform, exhaled a precisely oxygenated breath. His heart rate, monitored by subcutaneous bio-implants, was a steady 72 bpm – the pinnacle of physiological control.

His catcher, the legendary J.T. "The Sentinel" Realmuto-2.0, now equipped with a neural interface linked to the league's predictive analytics engine, tapped his wrist. "Plasma-slider, outside corner," came Realmuto's crisp, calm directive directly into Kerkering's auditory cortex. "And if there's contact, be ready for BU2."

Kerkering nodded almost imperceptibly, his eyes fixed on Pages. He began his motion on the gleaming, dark grey teleportation platform. The glowing blue light on the platform's surface intensified, ready for molecular lock-on.

The pitch was thrown. A streak of light, barely visible to the naked eye, a 108 mph plasma-slider. As the ball detached from Kerkering's enhanced hand, the platform flared, and Kerkering instantly vanished in a soft, low-frequency thrum that only the infielders could faintly perceive.

He rematerialized in the Phantoms' reception room, a pristine, sterile space optimized for a pitcher's kinetic release. On the immense, transparent display wall, the live feed of the field snapped into focus, a perfect 3D projection. Pages had indeed made contact.

The ball, a routine comebacker, bulleted directly towards where Kerkering had just been. But in 2050, that space was now the domain of Athena "The Shield" Rodriguez, the Phantoms' Designated Fielder (DF).

Inside the pitcher teleportation reception room.

Rodriguez, a compact dynamo of lightning-fast reflexes and preternatural anticipation, had been positioned slightly deeper than a traditional pitcher, her eyes tracking the trajectory of Kerkering's pitch and Pages' swing. Unlike Kerkering's specialized throwing uniform, Rodriguez's suit was designed for lateral bursts and instant changes of direction, her gloves reinforced with advanced impact-absorbing polymers.

The ball hit her outstretched glove with a dull thud. No deflections, no bouncing off a foot. Rodriguez, already having anticipated the grounder, executed a perfect pivot, her movements fluid and practiced. She took one powerful shuffle towards second, planting her back foot, and launched a laser-accurate throw to first baseman "The Colossus" Smith.

Back in the reception room, Kerkering, having seen the trajectory, heard Realmuto's updated command instantly: "BU2! BU2! Home!" He tapped the glowing 'BU2' icon on his wrist interface. The display wall momentarily shimmered as the transport engaged.

On the field, Smith gloved Rodriguez's throw, stepping firmly on first base. "OUT!" screamed the robo-umpire.

Almost simultaneously, a subtle shimmering distortion appeared just behind J.T. Realmuto-2.0 at home plate. Kerkering rematerialized, perfectly stable, already crouched slightly, eyes sweeping the field. If Rodriguez's throw had been wild, if Smith had bobbled it, if the Star-Dodger runner on third had somehow been waved around for an improbable dash home, Kerkering would have been there, the ultimate safety net.

Figure 4. Designated Fielder by Whisk.

But there was no need. The out was made. The threat was neutralized. The Phantoms had survived to fight another inning.

Rodriguez, "The Shield," walked calmly back to her position, a slight smile playing on her lips. She had done her job perfectly. The dreaded "pitcher's fielding mistake" was, in 2050, a relic of a bygone, less technologically elegant era. The game had evolved.

________________________

I had Gemini generate an image depicting the Designated Fielder standing behind the pitcher (see Figure 1). 

For the image shown in Figure 3, I tried to get Gemini to remove the small balls that are scene near to the glowing baseball, but I could not get Gemini to comply with my wishes. I did like the futuristic combined pitchers mound and teleportation platform (Figure 1), the strange aircraft in the sky and the glowing baseballs.

Figure 5. Can she catch it?

I don't know why Whisk wanted to depict the Designated Fielder as standing close to home-plate (see Figure 4). I was able to convince Whisk to put Miss Athena out behind the pitcher's mound (see Figure 5), but Whisk seemed unconcerned with matching the position of her glove to the position of the ball. Also, Figure 5 illustrates the lack of concern that the AI-image generators have for creating a reasonable depiction of other players on the field. Maybe Figure 5 is just a publicity photo and is not actually taking place during the game.

Me: Imagine a science fiction scenario: in the year 2200, a fundamental particle called the 'hierion' is discovered that has negative mass. Create an update to physics as we currently know it that would account for the existence and properties of the hierion particle.

Gemini: This is a fascinating concept that blends established physics with science fiction, perfect for a story exploring advanced nanotechnology and space aliens. The introduction of the hierion, a fundamental particle with negative mass, necessitates a significant, though constrained, revision to the current Standard Model and General Relativity.

Figure 6. Cap dome by Gemini.

 Me: In this science fiction scenario of negative mass hierions, imagine that by the year 2250 it is possible to make a baseball with zero net mass that contains a mixture of conventional matter and some hierions. Other physical properties of these new baseballs remain the same as for conventional baseballs. However, assume that a simple version of Newton's Second Law of Motion does not hold for zero mass objects that are a mixture of hierions and hadrons. Assume that there is a Modified Second Law of Motion that is due to complex interactions between the Higgs field and the Mass-Signularity Field. The Modified Second Law of Motion says that such a baseball would accelerate according to a = F/x where x = one half of the mass of the conventional matter in the baseball. However, in the case of gravity, the zero mass baseballs do not respond at-all to an applied gravitational field. In 2250, baseball fields are capped by a transparent plastic dome. Balls hit too high bounce off that cap dome and remain in play. The cap dome begins exactly 100 feet above the outer perimeter of the playing field and rises monotonically to a maximum height of 300 feet directly above the center of the playing field. Thus, some hit balls can be home-runs if they clear the top of the outfield fence and are below the outfield edge of the cap dome. Explain how the game of baseball would be changed if such baseballs with zero mass were used in the game.

Gemini: 

Figure 7.

I asked Gemini to make an image depicting a baseball field with a "cap dome" in the year 2225. The first image made by Gemini is shown above in Figure 6. The second Gemini-generated image is shown in Figure 7. In my instructions to Gemini, I had specified that an outfielder should be shown prepared to catch the hit baseball after it bounces off the cap dome, but Gemini acted like it did not know what "outfield" means, instead depicting a fielding play behind home-plate.

I then asked Claude for help making a better text prompt and Claude suggested: "Create an aerial view illustration looking straight down from above a transparent dome covering a futuristic baseball stadium in the year 2250. The camera position is located outside and above the dome, approximately 250 feet above the playing field, near where a baseball has just struck the interior surface of the dome. 

Figure 8.

 Show the baseball suspended at the point of contact with the dome's interior surface, with visible impact effects or energy ripples on the transparent dome material. Directly below this impact point, show an outfielder on the grass of the outfield, viewed from above, in a ready stance with glove raised upward preparing to catch the descending ball. The outfielder should appear small due to the high aerial perspective. The view should clearly show the outfield grass, the curved transparent dome structure with its geodesic framework, and the spatial relationship between the ball at the dome and the waiting fielder far below. Use a top-down bird's eye view perspective emphasizing the vertical distance between the dome impact point and the fielder on the ground. The dome should appear as a transparent barrier between the camera and the field below."

As shown in Figure 8, Gemini did finally make an image from the perspective above the cap dome, but the positions of the fielders seem strange. I complained to Claude about 1) the circular playing field; I prefer that the playing field be shaped like a playing field of the year 2025, but for the requested image, not all of the playing field needs to be included in the generated illustration 2) the distribution of players on the field; the players should be in conventional fielding positions and 3) only one player, in the outfield, should be preparing to catch the baseball when it falls.

Figure 9.

Claude suggested a new text prompt: "Create an aerial view illustration looking straight down from above a transparent geodesic dome covering a futuristic baseball stadium in the year 2250. The camera position is located outside and above the dome, approximately 250 feet above the playing field, near where a baseball has just struck the interior surface of the dome. Show the baseball suspended at the point of contact with the dome's interior surface, with visible impact effects or energy ripples on the transparent dome material. The playing field below should have the traditional diamond shape of a regulation baseball field with a dirt infield diamond, pitcher's mound, and grass outfield extending in the characteristic fan shape. Show fielders positioned in standard baseball defensive positions: infielders at first base, second base, shortstop, and third base; a pitcher on the mound; a catcher at home plate; and three outfielders in left field, center field, and right field. However, only ONE outfielder—positioned in deep center field directly below where the ball struck the dome—should have their glove raised upward in a catching stance, preparing to catch the descending ball. All other players should be in normal fielding stances watching the play unfold. Use a top-down bird's eye view perspective emphasizing the vertical distance between the dome impact point and the waiting center fielder on the grass below. The dome should appear as a transparent barrier with visible geometric framework between the camera and the traditionally-shaped field below." The resulting image was pretty funny (Figure 9) and I decided that Gemini was just getting increasingly confused. Whisk could not do any better (see the image at the bottom of this blog post).

Next: Chapter 3 of "English Time".

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