MLB's New Ball-Strike Challenge System: First Day Recap

0:00It's March 27, I'm Cory with the story. This is Seattle Mariners News Today, driven by AI and built for fans. Major League Baseball wrote out its new automated ball strike challenge system on Thursday night, and the Seattle Mariners played it safe by not. Using any of their two challenges, across the league, teams filed 31 challenges on the first day, overturning 19 of them. Cleveland's Guardians tried twice, winning one and losing the other, while fielders had strong success with 10 out of 15 flips. The system gives each team two challenges per game, which they keep if successful. Only hitters, catchers, or pitchers can star one by tapping their helmet right away, within two seconds of the call. Hitters proved sharp too, overturning nine out of their seven attempts league wide. A key moment came in the Mariners' eighth inning when Ketcher Cal Raleigh took a call third strike on a two-two pitch that replay showed was outside, the zone. He hesitated but let it go. Later saying he wished he had challenged it to learn from the new rule.

1:03Manager Dan Wilson stressed, the team has the green light to use challenges, especially saving them for big, late game spots. Everyone's still adjusting, much like with the pitch clock. As players get comfortable, expect more challenges to shape close calls and tighten and umpiring across the league.