I haven’t heard about this.
What a shame. It’s part of the game to have to deal with the umps calls- whether you agree to his huge or small strike zone..
you learn to adjust.

Thanks for posting.

Showing how the batter crouched low, lowering the entire strike zone; crouching, it was a strike, standing upright, a ball

… standing straight up, and the height of their strike zone remains fixed regardless of stance. The crouching Rickey Henderson would have hated this!

Here’s the scoop about how the ABS challenge rules work:
https://www.mlb.com/news/abs-challenge-system-mlb-2026

it can change with every pitch. That's why that shadow box on TV annoys me. It stays in one place the whole time.

I'm not saying umpires are perfect, but the strike zone moves around with the batter. The only thing you can measure in a fixed way is whether it crosses the plate.

This sounds like a huge fail and yet I am sure people will defend it.

All I’m saying is that… that’s not how the strike zone is being defined, for the purposes of the ABS challenge system.

I suspect that majority of challenges will be on whether the ball is inside or outside, not too high or low. And the width of the strike zone is fixed by the width of home plate, at the front of the plate.

They're getting back into the game as well.

Last season they used the ABS in spring training games. By the time the season had started it had kind of evened itself out to where only a few calls are overturned. Teams only get 2 fails on challenges per game, with extras added for extra innings.

I like it. It's fast and decisive. Doesn't slow the game much and doesn't cause the delays that other challenges cause.

And the managers are going to hold them until they count. No guarantee that the umpire will be over-ruled...but at least there is a consistent point of reference that will make sure bad calls lessen the impact of bad calls throwing games.

Challenges must be made immediately, by either the pitcher, catcher or batter. No hesitation (taking time to look at the dugout, for example) is permitted.
At least, that’s my understanding of the new rule.

Will it be by monitor or some other means? Not sure...but it is a huge step forward to getting balls and strikes called right.

It must come from the player with no bench intervention. However, you can bet your bottom dollar that managers will tell players before the game starts who can and who can't challenge. The Mariners catcher, Cal Raliegh, was pretty good at it last spring. Batters are looking at the pitch from a different angle, so their challenges will naturally be successful less often, and some guys don't have much of a clue.

The couple of spring games I've seen, the players have been pretty liberally calling challenges. I don't expect that to continue when the games start counting. In the games I saw, the two challenge limit was reached pretty quickly in the early innings, leaving no recourse later in the game. Managers will be pretty strict on who can challenge and who can't.

Players who have shown they have a good eye for the strike zone will be given more latitude to make challenges. I could see players getting benched for recklessly blowing challenges.

By relaying the outcome of each pitch to the umpire. ABS is already watching every pitch anyway. That will leave the ump to call plays at the plate, HBP, check swings, etc.

Of course that won’t happen during my career but I think it would make me a better official. I’ve wondered about utilizing the Meta glasses would help me evaluate my performance after the game.
Love the concept.

Teams can't challenge every ball and strike. But a few strategic challenges when the call counts makes a lot of sense.

Keep calling 'em chicoescuela!

Doubleheader scheduled tomorrow. Weather is supposed to be nice so looking forward to it. Kids are great; 90% of parents are as well.

You get to see the kids play the game for the joy of it.

But it’s not that major of a deal. Calls on a few pitches per game will be changed… probably a good thing. Umpires who have a lot of pitch calls overturned may be reigned in somewhat… probably a good thing.
Think back to how we’ve gotten ourselves all riled up in the past about rule changes, especially the package of changes a few years ago. Larger bases, limit on disengagements, pitch timer: some predicted that base stealing would be rampant. That hasn’t happened, thanks in part to catchers with cannons for arms. Steals are up… a little. I think it’s made the game more interesting, more strategic.