Knuckleball's Dance: ABS Ensures Fair Calls

0:00On April 29th, Matt Walgren's Nuckelball is one of the trickiest pitches in Major League Baseball, tough for catches to snag and even harder for, umpires to call right. It perfectly shows why automated ball strike systems or ABS exist in the first place. In his start against the Cubs on Wednesday, Walgren fired a nasty 0-1 Nuckelball to Miguel Amaya in the second inning. The pitch fluttered wildly before dipping just above the knees and kicking up some dirt. Amaya let it go and Padre's catcher Luis Capuzano couldn't frame a clean. With a runner on third, Capuzano popped up from his crouch, snagged the ball and tapped his helmet to challenge the umpest ball call. ABS review nailed it, a clear strike with the whole ball inside the zone. Rivergren's call made sense though, given how that Nuckeler danced all over. Nuckel balls like Walgren's keep the game alive and tech like ABS ensures they get the fair calls they deserve. That wraps MLB news today, brought to you with AI.