'You Can't Defeat The Robots!' Baseball Fans Cheer For Coach's 'Robo Ump' Meltdown
Minnesota Twins manager Derek Shelton was booted from a game after a dispute over the MLB's new tech-powered challenge system.
Major League Baseball’s latest update caused a coach to short-circuit during Sunday’s game between the Minnesota Twins and Baltimore Orioles. Twins manager Derek Shelton was ejected from the game after losing his cool at the umpires when one of his players was denied a base under the new pitch challenge tech, the Automated Ball-Strike system. Sports: Ilia Malinin Bounces Back From Winter Olympics Nightmare With 3rd Straight World Title The MLB officially debuted ABS during Wednesday’s season opener, putting in place a long-debated program that allows players to dispute home-plate calls with the help of 12 computer-driven cameras that analyze the strike zone.
The Twins were two runs behind with two men on base and just one out when Orioles pitcher Ryan Helsley walked first baseman Josh Bell. But Helsley tapped his head to call for the “robo umpire” to review the pitch, which determined it had just clipped the edge of the strike zone. Denied the chance for the Twins to load the bases, Shelton stormed out of the dugout to argue with the umps.
Like this article? Keep independent journalism alive. Support HuffPost .
Twins manager Derek Shelton was LIVID as he argued that Ryan Helsley didn't challenge this call fast enough pic. twitter. com/NnsgUb3iap — Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) March 29, 2026 “Derrick Shelton’s been thrown out!