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How MLB's and T-Mobile's ABS Challenge System Corrects Strike Calls in Seconds
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How MLB's and T-Mobile's ABS Challenge System Corrects Strike Calls in Seconds

CNET · May 16, 2026, 12:00 PM · Also reported by 3 other sources

Key takeaways

  • Baseball can be a game of physics and statistics, so I was surprised during a recent major league game in Seattle when a technical measurement sent the crowd into a tizzy.
  • In the May 1 matchup, Kansas City Royals pitcher Cole Ragans threw a fastball to hitter Leo Rivas of the Seattle Mariners toward the bottom-left corner of the strike zone.
  • That gesture activated an Automatic Ball-Strike, or ABS, challenge to review the pitch, which must be triggered within seconds of the ball being caught.

Baseball can be a game of physics and statistics, so I was surprised during a recent major league game in Seattle when a technical measurement sent the crowd into a tizzy.

In the May 1 matchup, Kansas City Royals pitcher Cole Ragans threw a fastball to hitter Leo Rivas of the Seattle Mariners toward the bottom-left corner of the strike zone. The umpire called a strike, putting Rivas out -- until Rivas tapped his helmet twice.

That gesture activated an Automatic Ball-Strike, or ABS, challenge to review the pitch, which must be triggered within seconds of the ball being caught.

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