Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images
Less than a week into the 2026 Major League Baseball season and ABS (Automated Ball-Strike System) has already proven to be a massive success. But perhaps not for the reason MLB was expecting.
The Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System debuted this season, allowing batters, pitchers, and catchers to challenge ball and strike calls immediately after they’re made. When a challenge is issued, a graphic instantly appears on the scoreboard and broadcast showing whether the umpire got the call right.
Baseball’s ABS system has seemingly added a whole new element to attending Major League Baseball games: cheering after an umpire gets a call overturned
While fans expected ABS to improve the accuracy of ball and strike calls, there’s been another aspect of the system that’s had a tangible impact on the fans’ experience: umpires who have been getting away with bad calls for decades are now being publicly embarrassed in real time, in front of 40,000 people.
Absolutely electric lmao CB Buckner noticeably annoyed when he tapped the 2nd time only to be wrong again and listen to 40,000 people cheer for his incompetence 😂 pic.twitter.com/F7zY93G7fz
— Shelfy (@RealShelfy) March 28, 2026
The most notable ABC instance of the season thus far came on Saturday during a matchup between the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds, which saw umpire C.B. Bucknor have a whopping eight calls challenged, with sic of them being overturned.
The most electric sequence of the whole game came in the sixth inning as a result of ABS, when Bucknor punched out Cincinnati’s Eugenio Suarez on consecutive called third strikes, only for Suarez to immediately challenge both pitches and have them overturned, leading the crowd to cheer louder on the second overturn than it had on any home run all day.
I have no idea whether MLB realized what this was as going to do to the fan experience, but they definitely hit the jackpot. https://t.co/c0WRVo5wDP
— Matt Glassman (@MattGlassman312) March 29, 2026
Early data shows the 10 oldest umpires are having their calls overturned at a 69% rate on challenges, compared to 39% for the 10 youngest.