Overview
- MLB reported 13 of 23 ball/strike challenges were upheld as incorrect on the first spring slate, averaging 4.6 reviews per game across five contests.
- Each club begins with two challenges that only the batter, pitcher, or catcher can trigger immediately by a head tap, with successful appeals retained and a bonus challenge awarded in extra innings.
- Hawk-Eye tracking feeds the review to stadium boards and broadcasts over a T-Mobile 5G private network, using a two-dimensional zone calibrated to each hitter’s height (top at 53.5%, bottom at 27%).
- Managers are emphasizing situational use and catcher control of challenges, with clubs like the Dodgers and Reds limiting pitcher-initiated appeals and Boston encouraging aggressive spring reps.
- League studies and early spring results point to roughly 50–56% overturn rates, minimal added game time of about a minute, and modest shifts such as slightly fewer strikeouts and more walks.