Manny Machado was a historic victim during Tuesday’s Midsummer Classic.
The San Diego Padres star Machado faced Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal during the first inning of the 2025 MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park in Atlanta, Ga. Facing an 0-2 count, Machado took a knee-high changeup from Skubal that was initially called a ball by home plate umpire Dan Iassogna.
However, an ABS (automated balls & strikes) challenge was initiated on the call. Within just a few seconds, the replay booth determined that the pitch had caught the bottom part of the strike zone, and thus Machado was called out on strikes.
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Tarik Skubal challenged for Strike 3 on Manny Machado and got it. pic.twitter.com/p6wGlOJczk
An ABS challenge, of which teams get a maximum of two per game, can only be initiated by the pitcher, catcher, or batter. In that case, it was Skubal who made the call to light the lamp (by tapping on his cap).
Major League Baseball decided beforehand to test out the ABS system during this year’s All-Star Game. They previously tested it at the big-league level during 2025 spring training and have been doing so at various minor-league levels since 2021.
As we saw with the Machado at-bat, the challenge system was extremely efficient and resulted in the call being overturned only about 20-25 seconds after it was initially made on the field. Some current MLB managers have expressed their doubts about the ABS system, but its debut during Tuesday’s All-Star Game could not have gone much smoother.
