Seattle Mariners win first ABS challenge and benefit from it

Randy Arozarena will be the answer to an obscure Seattle Mariners trivia question.

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Arozarena earned the honor of becoming the first Mariner to successfully use MLB’s new Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System in a regular season game.

And it ended up helping the M’s push the first run across in Saturday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians at T-Mobile Park.

Facing a 3-2 count against Guardians left-hander Joey Canitllo with one out in the second inning, Arozarena took a curveball that just off the plate inside. Home plate umpire Ryan Additon called it strike three, but Arozarena quickly signaled for a challenge with the tap of his helmet. The review showed the pitch was inside by two-tenths of an inch, and Arozarena trotted to first base for a one-out walk.

Arozarena’s challenge ultimately helped the Mariners score the first run of the game. Brendan Donovan grounded into a fielder’s choice in the next at-bat, which would have been the third out without the challenge, and Victor Robles took advantage of the extra at-bat with an RBI double into left field.

The Mariners used both of their challenges in Friday’s win over the Guardians, but nether were successful. Cleveland also lost of both of it challenge as the teams went 0 for 4 against home plate umpire Will Little.

Seattle didn’t use any challenge in its season-opening lost on Thursday, which included Cal Raleigh not challenging a called strike three that was just off the plate with M’s down 5-4 in the eighth inning.

The ABS Challenge System allows a pitcher, catcher or hitter to challenge a ball or strike call by tapping his hat or helmet. Challenges must be made immediately – within roughly 2 seconds – and without any assistance from coaches or the dugout.

The system uses cameras to measure the exact location of each pitch as it crosses the middle of the plate – the moment when the ball is 8 1/2 inches from the front of the plate and 8 1/2 inches from the back. Once a challenge is initiated, the result is immediately shown on the ballpark’s videoboard.

Each team starts the game with two challenges. If a challenge is successful, the team retains its challenge. If a challenge is unsuccessful, the team loses a challenge. In essence, a team doesn’t run out of challenges until its second unsuccessful challenge.

Seattle Mariners win first ABS challenge and benefit from it

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