‘He’s Arguing With the Robots!’ Minnesota Twins Manager Unleashes on Umps After MLB’s New Challenge System Gives His Team an Out
Minnesota Twins manager Derek Shelton on Sunday was ejected for arguing a call that was overturned by the MLB's new challenge system.
Screenshot Minnesota Twins manager Derek Shelton on Sunday was ejected for arguing a call that was overturned by the MLB’s new challenge system. This year, the MLB has debuted the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system , allowing players to dispute calls made by the home plate umpire. So far this season, the majority of challenges have come from batters and catchers.
In the ninth inning of Sunday’s game between the Twins and the Baltimore Orioles, the Twins trailed 8-6 with two men on base and just one out. On a 3-2 count, Orioles pitcher Ryan Helsley threw a slider that appeared just outside the strike zone on the broadcast. The umpire called it a ball, loading the bases for the Twins.
Helsley, however, immediately tapped on his head to signal a challenge. The ABS system showed that the ball just barely clipped the strike zone. Instead of the Twins having the bases loaded with one out, the overturned call gave them a second out with two men on base.
Shelton immediately left the dugout to let the umps have it. Although he wasn’t arguing the call itself, he argued that Helsley did not signal for a challenge quickly enough. After a brief back-and-forth, Shelton was tossed from the game.