MLB to Use ABS Challenge System in 2026
Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com. The ABS system will give teams the opportunity to request a quick review of some of the most important ball-strike calls in games. It will be the first time in baseball history in which the home-plate umpire's ball-strike calls will not be ironclad. Batters, pitchers, or catchers can challenge an umpire's call, and each team will start the game with two challenges apiece. A team will only lose its challenge if the umpire's call is confirmed. During spring training, players challenged 2.6% of all called pitches, and the overturn rate was 52.2%. Pitchers and catchers were more successful in their challenges (54.4%) than hitters (50%) during spring training.
Source: MLB.com
Major League Baseball announced on Tuesday that it will use the ABS (Automated Ball-Strike) Challenge System full-time in 2026, following years of experimentation in the minor leagues and in MLB spring training and the All-Star game this year, according to Source: MLB.com
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