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What was the outcome of the first ABS challenge in MLB history?
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- What was the outcome of the first ABS challenge in MLB history?
The Major League Baseball season started Wednesday with Opening Night between the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants .
In the midst of the Yankees’ 7-0 win — and a rough night for reigning MVP Aaron Judge — the Yankees made MLB history with the first Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge in a regular-season game.
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Jośe Caballero made the call, challenging a first-pitch strike from Giants starter Logan Webb in the fourth inning.
The pitch, a 90.7 mph sinker up and in, was upheld as a strike.
“You don’t have long, so you go with the feeling on the pitch and decide if you’re going to challenge or not,” Caballero said, according to NJ.com . “I wanted to go for it.
“It’s cool (making history),” Caballero added. “I wish it was the other way around. I’m trying to get the overturned call, but this time I didn’t. At least it was close.”
Per NJ.com , Caballero’s challenge came shortly after an unsuccessful challenge in spring training that came up in a team meeting with manager Aaron Boone.
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“We’ve had a lot of dialogue at it,” Boon said. “It’s something that we’ve poured a lot into. It’s become one of the things I’ve kind of tried to lead the charge on a bit.
“I had another end-of-spring meeting with all the position players and catchers, just kind of running through different (challenges) that came up and gave my feedback on it. I’ve been very direct with them during the spring, as far as after the fact, if I thought one was a really good or, conversely, if one was terrible. I’ve tried to be really direct with them.”
Boone was ultimately fine with Caballero calling for the challenge Wednesday.
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