Will the ABS System Appear at the Next Rendition of the World Baseball Classic?
The 2026 World Baseball Classic has been full of joy, surprises, and disappointment thus far. Just in the past few days, a lot has happened. Italy reached the semifinals after defeating Puerto Rico, while Venezuela put together a comeback to sink Japan’s chances of capturing a fourth WBC title thanks to Wilyer Abreu’s electric moment in the spotlight. Team USA won a close game against the Dominican Republic by a score of 2-1 to punch its ticket to the final. However, there was a bit of controversy along the way.
Geraldo Perdomo of the Dominican Republic struck out looking in the bottom of the ninth inning on a low fastball from Team USA’s closer, Mason Miller, to end the game. It appeared to be slightly below the knees and clearly outside of the strike zone shown on the broadcast. The controversy was magnified due to the situation at hand. With the tying run stationed at third base with two outs and already a full count, it seems like a lost golden opportunity for the Dominican Republic. A walk might have tipped the momentum in their favor. A case like this begs the question whether the new Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System could be helpful in getting more calls correct during key at-bats throughout games.
The Automated Ball-Strike or ABS Challenge System uses advanced technology to track the location of each pitch based on each individual batter’s strike zone. Only the pitcher, catcher, and batter have the authority to challenge a ball or strike call by the umpire. The system has already been tested in the minors and has been implemented for Spring Training games. It will make its regular-season debut at the start of the 2026 Major League Baseball season on March 25th.
There have been obvious displays of disbelief or frustration regarding balls and strikes called by umpires during this year’s WBC. For example, in the quarterfinal game between Puerto Rico and Italy, Puerto Rico’s bench had its share of pleadings and exchanges with the home plate umpire that night. If the first full season of ABS in the MLB is a success, they will likely continue to use it at the big league level. The question is, will it go international and show up the next time the WBC convenes? It certainly seems like a possibility. There will still be people throughout the baseball world who will be skeptical about ABS’ potential usefulness, regardless of what happens during the 2026 MLB season, and have doubts about it for the largest international baseball tournament. While we may not definitively know in the near future whether ABS will make its debut at the next WBC, we may see a test run at the second-largest international baseball tournament, the WBSC Premier12, which will be held in 2027.
