First blood has been drawn by … the umpires with MLB’s new automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge system.
The New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants officially kicked off the 2026 MLB season with a meeting on Wednesday at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif. One notable moment occurred in the top of the fourth inning when Yankees shortstop Jose Caballero made history.
Caballero saw a first-pitch offering on the inside corner from Giants pitcher Logan Webb get called a strike by home-plate umpire Bill Miller. The two-time AL stolen bases leader Caballero then decided to get litigious and tapped on his helmet to initiate the first-ever official ABS challenge in Major League Baseball history.
Unfortunately for Caballero, the jury did not find in his favor. The ABS system ruled that the pitch was correctly deemed a strike by Miller.
The first ABS challenge in MLB regular season history.
— Netflix Sports (@netflixsports) March 26, 2026
Jose Caballero challenges a strike call and was incorrect.@MLB #OpeningNight is LIVE now on Netflix! pic.twitter.com/vuDjjDH2LQ
MLB has been testing out the ABS system in the minor leagues since 2021 and then brought it to the 2025 All-Star Game as well as 2026 spring training. Now the ABS challenge system has officially been rolled out during regular season play (with teams receiving a maximum of two challenges per game).
Some growing pains have been inevitable with the new system, including with this MLB player who was denied an ABS challenge earlier this week thanks to a weird rule. But that was as bad as it got on Wednesday for Caballero and the Yankees as they went on to easily defeat the Giants by a 7-0 final score to kick off the season.
