MLB 2026: Best, worst automated balls-and-strikes challenges - ESPN

Just like with the pitch clock, the advent of robot umpires did not break Major League Baseball. The automated ball-strike system (ABS) debuted in the major leagues Wednesday after years of testing in the minor leagues, and in the 47 games since, exactly 94 calls have been overturned. Some were egregious, others by literal millimeters. The general consensus, based on in-stadium fan reaction and seamless integration into television broadcasts: Not only does ABS work, it makes the game better.

Skeptics and holdouts remain — just as they do with the pitch clock two seasons after it was added. Unlike the complaints about the pitch clock that mostly concern one's personal preferences, the criticisms of ABS are rooted in math and logic. The system's margin of error (approximately 1/6th of an inch, according to the league) is larger than some of the calls being overturned. And if the system is as good and accurate as the league says, does it not make sense to utilize it for all ball-strike calls?

The latter issue particularly will be adjudicated over time. For now, though, the novelty, speed and presentation of ABS are hits with fans — and plenty of players, too. The 175 challenges issued, signaled by a hitter, catcher or pitcher with a double tap to the head immediately following the pitch, have run smoothly and efficiently. Even better, the three-dimensional graphic tracking a pitch's tail into or out of the strike zone is deeply engaging, a little mystery box that more often than not reveals itself in an important moment.

The end goal is fairness — the game being decided not by what the umpire necessarily believes but by a set, standard strike zone for each player: 17 inches wide and at 27% of a player's measured height