Overview
- Major League Baseball has adopted the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system for 2026 following Joint Competition Committee approval, with spring training serving as a live test bed.
- The Los Angeles Dodgers have fared worst in spring challenges so far, with batters losing five of six and pitchers/catchers losing six of eight, according to Yahoo Sports.
- Ronald Acuña Jr. attempted an ABS head-tap challenge during a World Baseball Classic exhibition, but the system is not used in WBC games, highlighting ongoing confusion.
- Under MLB’s rules, each team gets two challenges per game with retention on success, only the batter, pitcher or catcher may initiate, challenges must be immediate, and umpires can reject late or influenced appeals.
- For 2026, ABS uses a simplified two-dimensional zone calibrated to player height (top at 53.5% and bottom at 27%) with pitch location judged above the plate’s midpoint, as games at select parks run on Hawk-Eye tracking.