In the fourth game of the National League Division Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers this year, Phillies pitcher Christopher Sánchez threw a pitch that clipped the corner of the strike zone. Instead of calling it a strike, the umpire called it a ball. That pitch would result in the Dodgers scoring a run that tied the game and sent them into extra innings, leading to the Phillies ultimately losing the game and the series.
Starting in 2026, a new system will ensure critical moments like that can be challenged and corrected through a new system: the Automatic Balls-Strikes (ABS) system. Immediately after a pitch, the hitter, catcher or pitcher can challenge the call of the pitch. The jumbotron or broadcast will display a view of the pitch using existing Hawk-Eye technology, and officials will uphold or overturn the umpire’s call. Teams receive two challenges per game, and can keep their challenges if they correctly overturn calls.
This new system will be the much-needed filter on the umpires and prevent situations where one faulty call can be the deciding factor in a game. It has happened too many times now in MLB, where a team is fighting to win a game or stay alive in a playoff series and an umpire messes up a call, which unfairly dooms one of the teams.
According to Umpire Auditor, a platform that tracks missed calls by umpires, MLB umpire Laz Diaz called a strike on a pitch that was 6.83 inches outside the 17 inch MLB strike zone in a 2025 game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Texas Rangers. Fans and players find it infuriating when umpires take the opportunity of victory and nothing can be done to rectify the call. In fact, MLB conducted a 2025 survey that revealed that 72% of fans found the new system to have a positive impact on their fan experience.
Traditional fans may object because they view umpires being imperfect as a part of the game of baseball and don’t want that aspect to change. Fans have used the traditional argument against changes like the pitch clock and runner at second to start extra innings, which are now generally approved of by fans, according to MLB.
Some critics point out that the ABS system adds time to games. But, as the new system was being tested during Spring Training in 2025, the average challenge added only 13.8 seconds to the games, which is a small price to pay for the correct outcome to the call. The MLB implementation of the new ABS system is much needed and a major improvement to the accuracy of the game of baseball, and will prevent one bad ball or strike call from deciding a game.
Alex Carder can be reached at [email protected].
