Flawless Use of ABS System Helps White Sox Gain Early Lead in Impressive Sequence
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Anthony Kay had his back against the wall in the top of the third inning.
One of the team's best starters to begin the year, Kay had a rough go following Jordan Leasure's opening performance. Kay allowed two singles in the inning before hitting Tampa's Cedric Mullins to load the bases. While he did have two outs on the board, the Rays had plenty of momentum with one of their top hitters stepping up to the plate.
A rattled Kay threw back-to-back balls to Yandy Díaz before his four-seamer came in low. Called a third consecutive ball, Edgar Quero was quick to tap his helmet and demand the ABS review. It was promptly changed to a strike. Then, Kay attacked almost the same spot at the plate, only for it to be called a ball again. I bet you can guess Quero's reaction.
The pitch was reversed again and the count was adjusted to 2-2. The next pitch would have surely been a ball inside, but Díaz swung at Kay's 97mph fastball and popped it up to shortstop Tanner Murray. The Sox exited the inning unscathed.
In other words, what essentially would have been a bases-loaded walk to take a 1-0 lead for Tampa was turned into an empty inning. You have to tip your cap to Quero for his keen eye, as well as to Kay for perfectly touching the bottom of the zone on both those pitches. It's still going to take some getting used to for many fans and players alike, but this is exactly what ABS is meant to do. The whole course of the game could have changed because of back-to-back wrong calls. Quero made sure it didn't.
Miguel Vargas Makes the Most of ABS
The ABS advantage for Chicago didn't stop there!
It was only minutes later that Miguel Vargas would step up to the plate in the bottom of the third with one out on the board. Rays lefty Steven Matz would follow two straight balls by forcing two foul tips. Vargas then laid off a sinker inside, only for it to be called strike three and thus the second out of the inning.
The third baseman asked for the challenge, which again ended up landing in the Sox' favor. Not only did this keep the plate appearance alive, but it led to a high sinker that Vargas sent over the left field wall with an exit velocity of 103.9. The Sox were now up 1-0.
sorry to interrupt, Miguel Vargas just hit a home run ❗️ pic.twitter.com/iebNzZqsBR
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 16, 2026
When it has come to challenges, the White Sox have struggled to use it appropriately in recent weeks. They came into the day with just a 42 percent success rate when fielding, which was the second-lowest in baseball. Quero simply hasn't had a strong eye.
When at the plate, the Sox have been slightly better with five wins in 12 tries. They haven't been particularly eager to call for the review, though, as their 11 challenges are tied for the second-fewest in baseball, per Baseball Savant. But, again, this was always going to be a learning curve for everyone involved, and what the Sox were able to pull off Thursday afternoon shows they may be getting the hang of things.
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Elias Schuster is a sports journalist and content creator from the northern suburbs of Chicago. A graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he has covered the Bulls since 2019-20 and previously served as the editor of BN Bulls at Bleacher Nation. He has been the Publisher for Bulls On SI since December of the 2025-26 season. When he isn't obsessing over hoops, Elias spends his time obsessing over practically every other sport – much to his wife's dismay. He also loves strolling the streets of Chicago for the best cozy bar or restaurant to set up shop and write his next article.
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