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Umpire Carlos Torres denied two ABS challenge requests during a game on May 10, 2023. The Baltimore Orioles won 2-1, but Torres' decisions sparked reactions from fans and managers.
Umpire flexes his discretion, denies two ABS challenges in game
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. Players have roughly two seconds to tap their cap or helmet after a pitch is called. The team keeps its challenge if it is not granted.
Umpire Carlos Torres denied the ABS challenges based on his discretion, as he deemed the situations did not warrant a review.
The challenges involved a play with Orioles outfielder Taylor Ward and Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers, but both were denied, contributing to the Orioles' 2-1 victory.
Torres' decisions to deny the challenges reverberated with fans and likely drew the attention of other managers, indicating a significant impact on the game's perception.
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Umpires have discretion to deny requests that don’t meet those standards, as Torres showed during the Orioles-A's game.
The system is six weeks old and has already generated its share of chaos. Through May 6, there were roughly 2,200 challenges with an overturn rate of 53%.
Ironically, it was Baltimore catcher Adley Rutschman who pointed out the potential of this problem in an interview with ESPN last month. He suggested they might need to add a challenge clock rather than rely on umpire discretion.
It’s not the first ABS-related blowup this season. On March 29, Twins manager Derek Shelton was ejected after arguing that Orioles pitcher Ryan Helsley hadn’t tapped his cap fast enough on a challenge that was accepted anyway.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Carlos Torres denies ABS challenges to Orioles and A's in game