Yankees SS José Caballero makes MLB history with first-ever ABS challenge, which he loses
After toying with the idea in the minors, MLB finally brought ABS to the big leagues in 2026.
After tinkering with the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system for a few years, MLB finally brought the technology to the regular season in 2026. It didn’t take long before the new rule was put to use. In the fourth inning of the Opening Night game between the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants, José Caballero became the first MLB player to initiate an ABS challenge.
On the first pitch of the inning, the Yankees shortstop challenged the strike call from home plate umpire Bill Miller. It proved to be unsuccessful, giving him an 0-1 count. He grounded out on an 0-2 count two pitches later.
Awkwardly, this all happened while the Netflix broadcast was interviewing Giants manager Tony Vitello. So it took a while for the moment to be acknowledged. Jose Caballero loses the first ABS challenge in Yankees and MLB history Yankees have one incorrect challenge remaining pic.
twitter. com/kSUFIqRSgD — Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) March 26, 2026 The implementation of the ABS challenge system during the MLB regular season was years in the making. MLB first started experimenting with the technology years ago, but initially limited it to the minor leagues.