The automated ball-strike (ABS) system has been implemented in Major League Baseball this year and here, on just the fifth day of the regular season, we have our first ABS-related ejection. Twins manager Derek Shelton was the lucky victim in the ninth inning of an eventual 8-6 loss to the Orioles.
Orioles closer Ryan Helsley appeared to walk batter Josh Bell, which would’ve put the tying run on base and brought the go-ahead run to the plate. Helsley challenged the ball and it was overturned for a strikeout. Shelton argued that Helsley didn’t challenge quickly enough. Here’s the call:
The rule states that challenges need to happen immediately, with the rough guideline being about two seconds. It sure looks like Helsley went to tap his head in the amount of time that I’d call “immediate.” You have to wait for the umpire to make the call and then react. It was very quick. Maybe Shelton didn’t see Helsley’s initial motion toward his hat when it could have been mistaken for him just tipping his cap.
Umpire C.B. Bucknor has six pitches overturned by ABS system, including consecutive called third strikes
Mike Axisa
“I didn’t think Helsley tapped his hat quick enough,” Shelton said after the game (via the Baltimore Sun). “Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. But I didn’t feel he did. I feel it’s gotta be something that’s in the three seconds and I didn’t think it was there. But the umpiring crew thought it was.”
Helsley insisted he had signaled for a review in time, but acknowledged there had been some miscommunication.
“I understood where he was coming from, because I felt like the umpire didn’t see me right away and so I was kind of confused,” he said after the game (via the Baltimore Sun). “(Home plate umpire Laz Díaz) behind me kind of took up for him. He was like, ‘He did it right away,’ which I know we’re probably going to go through some growing pains with this since it’s so new and I think we saw that today. And I can respect Shelton for trying to not get him to do it there, because it did seem like it was a little long in that moment.”
The following hitter reached on an error before Helsley induced a flyout to end the game. The Twins are now 1-2 to start the 2026 season. They head to Kansas City Monday to open a series against the Royals.
