When baseball met artificial intelligence, Distillery was behind the build.
On September 6, 2025, the Oakland Ballers hosted the first-ever fully AI-managed professional baseball game. In a groundbreaking showcase, every strategic gametime decision, from lineups to substitutions, was made by an AI-powered system developed by Distillery’s engineering team.
The project drew national attention, including coverage in The New York Times, and positioned both the Ballers and Distillery as bold innovators pushing the boundaries of sports and technology.
The Challenge: Innovating Beyond the Box Score
The Ballers, members of the MLB-partnered Pioneer League, are known for experimenting with fan engagement and innovation. After last year’s “fan-controlled” game, they wanted to go even bigger:
- Could AI manage an entire professional baseball game?
- Could data, machine learning, and live analytics combine to deliver real-time decision-making under pressure?
- And could all of this be built in time for Fan Appreciation Day, just weeks away?
They needed a partner who could turn vision into product – fast.
The Solution: Distillery’s Engineering at Work
Distillery embedded a team of senior engineers and data specialists to design, build, and deliver a cross-platform application optimized for both web and tablets.
Key capabilities:
- Real-time Decision Engine: The system ingested live game data, player stats, and historical performance.
- Actionable Strategy Recommendations: Instead of overwhelming users with generic stats, the AI surfaced only the specific decisions managers face, like pitcher/batter matchups or when to pull a starter.
- Cross-Platform Build: Developed in Flutter for seamless performance across devices used in the dugout and press box.
- Tight Timeline Delivery: Distillery delivered the production-ready solution in a matter of weeks, showcasing the agility and caliber of its nearshore engineering model.
The Outcome: AI Takes the Field
On September 6, the Ballers made history:
- Every gametime decision was made by Distillery’s AI system.
- Fans experienced live explanations of the AI’s choices, adding transparency and excitement.
- Media coverage from outlets including The New York Times amplified the story far beyond the stadium.
Most importantly, the project demonstrated how AI can be applied to real-world, high-pressure decision-making, not just in sports, but across industries where data-driven speed matters.
“We set a modern-era Pioneer League wins record this season, but we wondered – could we be even better with AI? During last year’s Fan Appreciation game our fans were given the power to make gametime decisions. Our fans had a lot of fun, but unfortunately the Ballers weren’t able to secure the win. This time, with Distillery and our AI manager, we not only brought our vision of hosting the first AI sporting event to life, we also gave our fans a fun experience to enjoy while securing another victory,” said Paul Freedman, Co-Founder of the Oakland Ballers.
Why It Matters: Distillery as a Trusted Innovation Partner
This project wasn’t just about baseball. It’s a case study in what Distillery does best:
- Embedding elite engineers directly into ambitious projects.
- Delivering complex, AI-powered systems with speed and precision.
- Supporting dozens of high-impact data, AI, and software builds each month for enterprise partners worldwide.
As Andrey Kudievskiy, CEO and Founder of Distillery, said:
“This was about more than building an app, it was about engineering a system that can make real-time decisions in one of the most complex, fast-moving environments in sports. Delivering a high-quality product on such a tight timeline is a testament to the caliber of our engineers and the advantage of Distillery’s nearshore model.”
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