Giants' catcher Patrick Bailey can make MLB history on Opening Day
This has the potential to be a special moment.
Giants' catcher Patrick Bailey can make MLB history on Opening Day originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey could make history on Opening Day against the New York Yankees .
The Giants host the Yankees to begin the MLB regular season on Wednesday night, and Bailey will be in a special spot as the first catcher to be on the field for the 2026 campaign. While a Yankees hitter could beat him to the punch, Bailey has a legitimate chance to be the first player to challenge a ball-strike call in the regular season in MLB history. The ABS challenge system (automated ball strike) is in place for the 2026 season for the first time.
It allows a catcher, pitcher or batter to challenge a pitch after the umpire has made his call. A team only gets a couple challenges per game, although they keep them if they correctly get a call overturned. "Everyone will be waiting to see who makes that historic first challenge," MLB.
com's David Adler wrote in a new article before the first game . "Will it be one of the two catchers, Patrick Bailey or Austin Wells? They're the most obvious candidates.