Umpire flexes his discretion, denies two ABS challenges in game
A home plate umpire denied ABS challenge requests from both the A's and the Orioles on Sunday, reminding everyone that the umpires still have power.
Robot umpires were supposed to take the power away from the guys in blue. On Sunday, May 10, umpire Carlos Torres showed that he’s still in charge of the game. Torres denied the two separate ABS challenge requests, one from the Baltimore Orioles and one from the Athletics .
The Orioles won 2-1 , but Torres’ decision not to grant the reviews reverberated with fans and probably other managers. The first incident came in the first inning, when Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers tapped his helmet after Orioles outfielder Taylor Ward walked. Langeliers seemed surprised to see Ward walking to first and tapped his helmet after a hesitation.
Torres did not grant the review. The second came in the third inning. Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo was denied a challenge of a ball call because his first move was to throw the ball around the horn, apparently believing it was strike three.
By the time he tried to challenge, Torres wouldn’t allow it. Baltimore manager Craig Albernaz came out to argue, went back to the dugout, and Torres ejected infield coach Miguel Cairo for yelling from the bench. Under MLB’s ABS rules, a challenge can be denied if the umpire determines it was aided by the dugout or other players, or if it wasn’t requested in a timely manner.