After much anticipation, the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system will be implemented in Major League Baseball beginning in 2026. The system will be used for all spring training, regular season, and postseason games.
Over the past few years, MLB experimented with the challenge system in both the minor leagues and spring training. After seeing positive results, MLB’s 11-man competition committee met to discuss its possible implementation. Comprised of six owners, four players, and one umpire, the committee agreed to adopt the system on Tuesday.
How it Works
The ABS system will be powered by Hawk-Eye, the same technology Statcast runs on. The goal is to make sure the strike zone is representative of the player at bat. Aaron Judge, for example, has a vastly different strike zone than Jose Altuve. The hope is for the strike zone to be relative and represent that.
The system itself is simple, and it works almost identically to the NFL’s challenge system. Every game, each team will receive two challenges to use on an umpire’s call they disagree with. If the first challenge is successful, the team keeps their second challenge. But if the first challenge is unsuccessful, the second challenge is lost.
Managers and coaches cannot challenge calls. If a team wants to challenge a call, a pitcher, catcher, or hitter must make the decision. With half of baseball’s managers having been ejected at least three times in 2025, this rule will help coaches from being tossed.
The Downside
As helpful as ABS will be, the system is likely to lengthen games. Since the pitch clock was implemented in 2023, MLB games have been shortened by 30 minutes on average. But with all the moving parts that come from challenging a call, each game will take more time, especially if all four challenges are used.
A Tradeoff Worth Making
Despite this possible downside, the ABS challenge system represents a major milestone in the sport. Far too many games are altered because of poor calls, so the hope is for ABS to put an end to that. However, only time will tell if that happens.
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