Abc News: Orioles win on first-ever game-ending ABS challenge as robot umpire overturns ball to strike
abc news is watching a historic finish in Baltimore after the Orioles sealed an 8-3 win over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday with the first game-ending call generated by the Automated Ball-Strike System. The moment came in the top of the ninth inning with two outs, Evan Carter at the plate, and a 1-2 pitch initially ruled a ball by home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez. About 13 seconds after Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo initiated a challenge, the scoreboard graphic showed the pitch clipped the strike zone, ending the game on a strikeout.
Game ends after Automated Ball-Strike System overturn
The decisive sequence unfolded fast: Carter saw a pitch on the upper, outside corner called outside for ball two, and Basallo immediately tapped his helmet to signal a challenge. The Automated Ball-Strike System graphic then displayed that the pitch caught the strike zone, and Gonzalez announced the result to the ballpark. Basallo jogged to the mound and hugged reliever Albert Suárez as the final out was recorded and the Orioles’ win became the first to end on an ABS challenge decision.
The ending also delivered a milestone for Suárez, who worked the final three innings after being called up as a roster replacement. He allowed one run over those three innings and earned his second career save, his first since Aug. 6, 2017, when he recorded a save for San Francisco against Arizona.
Abc News: What players and in the immediate aftermath
Basallo explained the decision to challenge in blunt, real-time terms. “I think we had two [challenges remaining] at that point, ” Samuel Basallo, catcher for the Baltimore Orioles, said through a translator. “I thought why not use it? Better to use it and see what happens instead of holding onto it. ”
The process was visible to everyone in the stadium as the scoreboard graphic delivered the ruling roughly 13 seconds after the signal. Plate umpire Manny Gonzalez made the announcement following the Automated Ball-Strike System display, formally finalizing the strike call that ended the game.
Suárez also addressed his view of the technology after the result went Baltimore’s way. “I think I like it more after what happened today, ” Albert Suárez, pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles, said when asked about ABS.
How Baltimore built the 8-3 margin
Before the technology took center stage, Baltimore did its damage with timely hitting and steady starting pitching. Trevor Rogers delivered six solid innings, allowing two runs and six hits as the Orioles avoided a three-game sweep and halted Texas’ four-game winning streak. Rogers’ only runs allowed came in the fourth inning when he gave up four straight singles with two outs, with Josh Jung and Ezequiel Duran driving in the runs.
Basallo and Dylan Beavers homered, and Baltimore’s scoring started early. Jeremiah Jackson opened the scoring in the second with a sacrifice fly, and Taylor Ward followed with an RBI double. In the third, Leody Taveras pushed the lead to 4-0 with a two-run double. Basallo led off the fifth with a 437-foot drive to center that hit the green batter’s eye on the bounce, and Baltimore added two more runs in that inning on Jackson’s RBI single and Ward’s sacrifice fly. Beavers added a solo home run in the sixth to make it 8-2.
On the Texas side, Nathan Eovaldi took the loss after allowing six runs and eight hits in four-plus innings. Seager homered off Suárez in the eighth to account for Texas’ final run.
Quick context and what comes next
The first week of the ABS Challenge System has already produced multiple notable moments, and Wednesday’s finish marked the first time it directly decided the final out of a game. Earlier in the homestand, Minnesota manager Derek Shelton was ejected after an argument tied to a ninth-inning decision in an Orioles win.
Both teams are off Thursday. Texas has not announced a starter for its home opener Friday against Cincinnati, while Baltimore heads to Pittsburgh on Friday with Kyle Bradish scheduled to start against Mitch Keller—setting up the next test after a day when abc news saw the sport’s newest officiating tool deliver its most dramatic ending yet.
