What Greg Sankey said about ABS challenge system at SEC Tournament

Yahoo Sports3h ago10 min readOriginal source →

TL;DR

Greg Sankey announced the introduction of an automated ball-strike system (ABS) challenge at the SEC Tournament from May 19-24 in Hoover, Alabama. This system is inspired by Major League Baseball's ABS review rule.

Key points

Greg Sankey announced the ABS challenge system for the SEC Tournament
The tournament will take place from May 19-24 in Hoover, Alabama
The ABS system is inspired by Major League Baseball's review rule
Sankey has desired this system for eight years

Mentioned in this story

SECGreg SankeyHoover, Alabama

SEC Tournament

What Greg Sankey said about ABS challenge system at SEC Tournament

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Major league baseball's been a help to the SEC's rule changes on the diamond, be it replay review or in-game communication between players, and the MLB showed commissioner Greg Sankey long ago what's to come.

Last week, the conference announced it'd introduce an ABS (automated ball-strike system) challenge at this year's SEC Tournament, which runs May 19-24 in Hoover, Alabama. It's akin to the MLB's first-year ABS review rule, and it was something Sankey first desired eight years prior.

REQUIRED READING: ABS challenge system coming to SEC Baseball Tournament, league announces

In 2018, Sankey was in the Bronx for a rivalry matchup between the Yankees and Red Sox, and manager Joe Girardi exited the home dugout to argue a blown call late in a one-run game.

"At the time, the MLB brought the boom box out and they put the headsets on," Sankey said Monday, May 11, at the Associated Press Sports Editors Southeast Region meeting at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. "I came back and said, 'We need to move towards that.' Because it took all the emotion out of the moment. Let's just get to the right answer, to the extent we're able to."

It was something Sankey saw in full during this year's Final Four, when he attended an Arizona Diamondbacks game.

"It was fascinating; it was clear," Sankey said. "It's not that long a time it's up there and you can see the penalty, ball or strike. What's amazing, for all the criticism, the variances are pretty small between what is a ball and what is a strike. And the good news is, our staff was already on it."