Reds Had Front Row Seat to CB Bucknor Disasterclass vs. Red Sox

This year, Major League Baseball introduced the ABS challenge system, which allows each team to utilize two challenges against balls and strikes throughout the course of the game. If a challenge is won by the challenging team, they retain it and remain at two challenges.

On Saturday, during the Cincinnati Reds contest against the Boston Red Sox, both teams got a taste of the challenge system due to some questionable calls from home plate umpire CB Bucknor.

Ahead of the game, Reds analyst Sam LeCure joked that Bucknor could set a record for the most challenged calls against him in Saturday's game. Funnily enough, LeCure might not have been off the mark with this statement.

Reds Were Excellent With Their ABS Challenges

Mar 12, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

In the second inning, Sonny Gray threw a pitch to Reds catcher Jose Trevino, which Bucknor called a ball. The Red Sox challenged the call, but it was upheld and remained a ball, which would be one of Bucknor's only correctly challenged calls of the game. Later in the third inning, Bucknor called a strike against Roman Anthony, which he challenged. This call would also stand. But the other six challenges were overturned.

In the third inning, Bucknor called a strike against Anthony. Following a challenge, it turns out the pitch was nearly three inches out of the zone.

After that, Bucknor would make five consecutive incorrect calls against the Reds, all of which were challenged and won by Cincinnati.

C.B. Bucknor could be the worst to ever do it.

Through eight innings, the Reds are 5 for 5 on challenges against him. pic.twitter.com/Hkzf71FexR
— Reds Daily (@RedsDaily4) March 28, 2026

In the fourth inning, Elly De La Cruz would challenge a strike call, which turned out to be over two inches out of the zone. Eugenio Suárez challenged two pitches in the sixth inning, which were both overturned from strikes to balls. To cap it off, Will Benson challenged two pitches in the same at-bat, both of which were incorrect calls from Bucknor.

To make matters worse, Bucknor rung up Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story on a questionable check swing call to end the eighth inning. Manager Alex Cora came to Story's defense, which resulted in Story staying in the game while Cora was ejected.

Alex Cora was ejected by CB Bucknor for arguing this check swing call on Trevor Story

Bucknor did not appeal to the first base umpire on the check swing, and he has already had several calls overturned on ABS challenges in today's game pic.twitter.com/Wh698UTgnl
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) March 28, 2026

The ABS challenge system is going to showcase which pitchers, catchers, and batters are best at identifying balls and strikes. Some players will be better at identifying the zone than others. But it's also going to put the bad calls on blast in front of the entire stadium. Umpires will be forced to watch their close calls be broadcast on the big screen in front of everybody, which is almost certainly not what Bucknor wanted to see on Saturday.