All articles tagged with #abs
MLB kicks off 2026 with the ABS robot-strike system in full swing, a managerial ejection, and a flood of bizarre opening-week stats—from pitchers’ futuristic strikeout calls to teams racking up 14-run innings and the Mariners going two games without a single, showing that baseball is back in a radically different, wildly entertaining new era.
MLB’s 2026 season introduces an Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system that lets players challenge balls and strikes with a hat tap, triggering an AI-powered robo-judge to instantly display the strike zone and overturn the call; teams can retry if they win, but a failed review ends their challenges for the game, creating dramatic, crowd-pleasing moments as umpires are overturned in real time. The system is new and likely to be tweaked as it rolls out.
Five days into the 2026 MLB season, the Automated Ball-Strike system has produced notable overturn rates among umpires led by Chad Whitson (7/7). Other high-percentage umpires include C.B. Bucknor (6/8), Chris Segal (7/10), Tripp Gibson (4/6) and Carlos Torres (4/7). Catchers dominated success on challenges, with Salvador Perez (4/4), J.T. Realmuto, and Austin Wells winning all theirs; Acuña Jr. and William Contreras each failed two challenges. The Royals and Diamondbacks benefited from overturned calls, while the Astros and Cardinals struggled, signaling early adjustments as ABS unfolds.
MLB’s Opening Weekend showcased a new era with Automatic Balls and Strikes calls driving overturned calls and strategic challenges, while contenders like the Dodgers and Yankees looked strong and the Blue Jays posted a record-setting start on the mound. A wave of top prospects—DeLauter, Wetherholt, Murakami, McGonigle—made big MLB debuts, helped by Dylan Cease’s sharp outing for Toronto as the rotation dominated early. Not all teams found instant success, with Seattle and Philadelphia facing rough starts.
Bleacher Nation’s Cubs bullets recap a three-game Opening Series loss as disappointing but not determinative, compiling quick takes on Shota Imanaga’s debut, Alex Bregman’s early power, Ian Happ’s homers, bullpen/ABS chatter, and other Cubs notes while urging readers not to read too much into an early-season sample and to focus on the next series for clearer signals.
Umpire CB Bucknor’s day at Great American Ball Park drew attention as MLB’s Automated Ball-Strike System overturned six of eight challenged calls in Cincinnati, including two back-to-back strikes against Red Sox rookie Ryan Watson after Eugenio Suarez’s challenges. Bucknor also ejected Boston manager Alex Cora following a heated, non-reviewable check-swing call by Trevor Story, during a game the Reds won 6-5 in 11 innings after Dane Myers’ walk-off. Boston had tied it in the ninth on Wilyer Abreu’s homer. The affair underscored the ongoing debate over ABS and umpiring in baseball.
Royals catcher Salvador Perez’s taunt of home-plate umpire Doug Eddings after a sequence of borderline calls in the Royals-Braves game spotlights baseball’s push toward automated strike zones (ABS). The piece argues that while technology can correct calls and bring consistency, hitters still must adapt, and the so‑called Age of ABS raises questions about accountability and the future of balls and strikes in MLB.
Opening Day introduces MLB's Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenges, where players can challenge balls and strikes using per-player strike zones measured for each batter; each team starts with two challenges and gains new ones in extras, with successful challenges retaining the option and failures costing one. Cubs and White Sox kickoff the rollout Thursday, with other games streaming on NBC Chicago.
Netflix’s first MLB broadcast faced a rough premiere: during MLB’s first-ever ABS ball/strike challenge, Netflix aired an interview and never switched to the scoreboard, leaving viewers without the crucial review. Critics blasted the production for missed cues, limited graphics, and poor on-air handling, though Lauren Shehadi was praised, and the piece notes the need for Netflix to fix the kinks before the Home Run Derby.
Netflix’s live MLB broadcast featured the first Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge, but the moment was overshadowed by a Giants manager interview as Yankees shortstop Jose Caballero challenged a pitch that was upheld as a strike; viewers missed the live action, and the broadcast drew criticism for coverage and the new scorebug, though MLB later released a clip clarifying the ABS process.
Major League Baseball is deploying the Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS) this season, using 12 Hawk-Eye cameras to judge pitches and allow teams two challenges per game (one additional in extra innings). A strike under ABS is defined by a height-based zone different from the traditional rule-book box, with calls potentially overturned on challenge success. Spring training data shows varying challenge success by teams and players, highlighting a push for greater accuracy but sparking concerns about humiliation for human umpires and the broader impact on the game. The ABS builds on a two-decade history of electronic umpire evaluation, aiming to correct egregiously missed pitches while leaving room for human judgment on near-calls.
Yankees shortstop Jose Caballero became the first MLB player to challenge a pitch using the automated ball-strike system in the regular season, but the review kept the pitch as a strike, costing New York one of its two challenges in a 7-0 win over the Giants; manager Aaron Boone said the team plans to use ABS aggressively going forward as rosters and plans for the season are set.
Team USA edged the Dominican Republic 2-1 in a World Baseball Classic semifinal, sealed by a controversial called strike three on Geraldo Perdomo with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. The absence of an ABS review sparked debate, but USA advances to its third straight WBC final and will face Italy or Venezuela after a bullpen shutdown of the DR in the late innings.
Bleacher Nation’s Brett Taylor analyzes the new ABS challenge system, arguing it improves accuracy but could make game-ending calls feel anticlimactic or tense if a review alters a potential finish; he questions how teams will strategically use challenges in big moments, noting early spring-training examples and Cubs coverage in the broader discussion.
In a spring-training game at CoolToday Park, the Atlanta Braves defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 9-5 after an Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge overturned a called ball on Luis Vargas with two outs in the ninth. Braves catcher Archer Bookman challenged the call, and Hawk-eye showed it was a ball, with the pitch subsequently ruled a strike and the game ended as the Braves won. MLB's ABS system, approved in 2025 and tested in the minors and spring training, has been touted for adding about 57 seconds per challenge, though this ending potentially cut short a late Blue Jays rally.