Spanish
New York.– The joint competition committee of Major League Baseball (MLB) approved the implementation of the Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS), a technological tool that will allow players to appeal umpires' decisions on pitches in the strike zone.
The mechanism, based on Hawk-Eye technology —already used in sports like tennis—, had been extensively tested in minor leagues and more recently in 2025 preseason games. Now, it will come into effect in the 2026 season, marking a historic change in professional baseball.
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According to regulations, each team will have two challenge opportunities per game, with the possibility of adding more in extra innings. Appeals can only be requested by the pitcher, catcher, or batter, without the intervention of coaches or players from the bench. The reviews will appear in real time on the video markers in the stadiums, graphically showing the trajectory of the pitch. According to MLB calculations, based on tests in the American spring, each review takes an average of 13.8 seconds to resolve. If the appeal is successful, the team will retain its right to continue using the resource. With this measure, the league seeks a balance between technological precision and the tradition of human arbitration. "The two-challenge system represents a middle ground between the so-called 'robot umpires', who would decide each pitch, and the natural margin of error inherent in the game," MLB highlighted in a statement. The decision marks the first time in the history of this sport that calls on balls and strikes will no longer be unappealable in official championship games.
