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MLB Fans Loved How ABS Challenge System Showed Ump How Badly He Missed a Call
Major League Baseball is trying something new this spring as they're allowing teams to challenge two ball and strike calls per game with the ABS challenge system.
Players, managers and fans have been growing more and more frustrated with umpires over the years and this step to at least experiment with the challenge system seems like a good move for everyone involved.
Well, maybe the umpires won't like it too much because now they get to see in front of everyone if they missed a call.
That happened during Sunday's Padres-Dodgers game when Los Angeles' Andy Pages quickly called for a challenge after being called for strike three with the bases loaded. The replay quickly showed that the pitch was well above the strike zone and his at-bat continued.
Umps now have to see how bad their call is in front of everyone. Respect pic.twitter.com/693L36bBwC
— Talking Friars (@TalkingFriars) February 23, 2025
Fans loved everything about that process:
I’m totally back in on baseball if this becomes a full time thing. They should also take 10 seconds before they resume play for everyone to point and laugh at the Umpire too. https://t.co/e4ZuMtNSRm
— Pat Whittaker (@PatWhittakerNFL) February 24, 2025
Accountability can hurt sometimes 😅 https://t.co/S0urqp601A
— Matthew (@reaux_irl) February 24, 2025
I’ve never been more on board with a change in a sport https://t.co/t5eSkzbiWg
— Joey (@Jost_Malone) February 24, 2025
Man, it's such a shame we didn't get to see Angel Hernandez call a game with this technology and see him try to figure out how to eject a camera. https://t.co/jFO3dQOLBi
— Chad Willis (@ChadWillis) February 24, 2025
He must have known what was coming. https://t.co/0abBYmf4XF pic.twitter.com/M2Wm69Vgew
— Former A's Fan by Design (@AsFanByDesign) February 24, 2025
Absolutely beautiful we have needed this for a long long time https://t.co/cjgm23ZW53
— SuperbRavensFan (@SuperbRavensFan) February 24, 2025
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Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.