MLB’s new ABS system wins fans free pizza
Sometimes technology changes the game. And sometimes… it wins you pizza. That’s exactly what happened at Great American Ball Park, where Cincinnati Reds fans got a delicious reward thanks to Major League Baseball’s new Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system.
MORE: Yankees call up top prospect to make MLB debut Wednesday The ABS operator sits in the press box at LECOM Park during a spring training game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, Mar. 7, 2025. Major League Baseball is testing an Automated Ball-Stike (ABS) challenge system at select spring training parks.
The system allows players to challenge a limited number of ball/stike calls during a game. Calls can be overturned if the pitch tracking technology shows an umpire got a call wrong. ABS Delivers More Than Just Accuracy One of the most entertaining elements of the new ABS challenge system isn’t just getting calls right; it’s the crowd reaction.
Fans have quickly embraced the drama of challenges, erupting when a call is overturned in their team’s favor. But in Cincinnati, the stakes were even higher. The Reds have a popular promotion with local chain LaRosa’s Pizzeria called “Strikeouts for Slices.
” The deal is simple: If Reds pitchers record 11 strikeouts in a home game Fans in attendance can redeem their ticket for free pizza Heading into the ninth inning of a 7–2 win over the Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati sat at 10 strikeouts. They needed just one more. Cincinnati Reds pitcher Brock Burke (49) throws a pitch in the ninth inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Colorado Rockies at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Tuesday, April 28, 2026.