MLB's Robot Umpire Reverses 4 of 5 Challenged Calls in All-Star Game Debut
Cal Raleigh was just as successful with the first robot umpire All-Star challenge as he was in Monday night's Home Run Derby, in which he slugged his way to the championship.
Seattle's catcher signaled for an appeal to the Automated Ball-Strike System in the first inning of the National League's win Tuesday night, getting a strikeout for Detroit's Tarik Skubal on San Diego's Manny Machado.
"You take ‘em any way you can get ’em, boys," Skubal said on the mound. Four of five challenges of plate umpire Dan Iassogna's calls were successful in the first All-Star use of the ABS system, which could make its regular-season debut next year.
Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson won as the first batter to call for a challenge, reversing a 1-0 fastball from Washington's MacKenzie Gore in the fifth inning that had been called a strike.
Miami’s Kyle Stowers lost when ABS upheld a full-count Andres Munoz fastball at the bottom of the zone for an inning-ending strikeout in the eighth.
Mets closer Edwin Diaz earned a three-pitch strikeout against Randy Arozarena to end the top of the ninth on a pitch Iassogna thought was outside.
Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk used ABS to get a first-pitch strike on a 100.1 mph Aroldis Chapman offering to Brendan Donovan with two outs in the bottom half.
"The fans enjoy it. I thought the players had fun with it," NL manager Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers said. "There’s a strategy to it, if it does get to us during the season. But I like it. I think it’s good for the game."
Skubal had given up Ketel Marte's two-run double and retired the Dodgers' Freddie Freeman on a groundout for his first out when he got ahead of Machado 0-2 in the count. Skubal threw a 89.5 mph changeup, and Iassogna yelled" "Ball


