It was only a matter of time, right?
Major League Baseball implemented the highly praised Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System this season and it has been a doozy. There are very few downsides to the system, if any. Teams have a few challenges throughout a game and if used correctly, it leads to more accurate calls. What more could you ask for? Sure, there have been some viral mishaps so far this season with umpires. But the ABS System is working. The challenges lead to almost immediate responses that don’t really make the game longer and in the process makes the calls more accurate. That is positive.
We’re about one week into the 2026 MLB season and now we have seen a bit of history thanks to the ABS System. On Wednesday, the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers faced off and the game was ended on a challenge.
The Rangers, while staring at an 8-3 deficit, had Evan Carter at the bat with a 2-2 count in the top of the ninth inning. Orioles hurler Albert Suárez tossed a fastball to the top right-hand corner of the strike zone. Initially, it was called a ball. But Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo challenged the call and was correct. Strike three. Game over. The first of its kind with a game ending on a correct challenge.
History was made in Baltimore