Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. fines himself $1,000 for bad ABS challenges

Major League Baseball appears to be benefiting from the ABS challenge system implemented this season. Fans at the ballpark enjoy having incorrect ball and strike calls reviewed on the scoreboard and for all to see.

Yet some MLB players are struggling with determining which calls should be challenged. New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. is one of the worst. He’s 1-for-7 after challenging a called strike on Sunday that was upheld after ABS determined that a cutter from Houston Astros pitcher Spencer Arrighetti was completely inside the strike zone.

At least that pitch was on the outside part of the strike zone. In Friday’s 12-4 win over the Astros, Chisholm challenged a fastball from Houston’s Bryan Abreu that was called for a third strike. ABS showed that the pitch was fully in the lower middle of the zone.

Chisholm acted surprised by the ABS ruling, but his misjudgment seemed particularly egregious on a pitch that was clearly in the strike zone. With the Yankees winning by eight runs, he could make light of the bad challenge after the game and laugh at himself.

The seven-year MLB veteran punctuated his poor strike zone perception by saying he would fine himself $1,000 to appease his teammates. The Yankees already had a self-imposed policy among the players that fined them $500 for poor challenges. Chisholm held himself accountable by doubling the fine on himself.

“If it’s a whole ball in the zone, you should know it’s a strike,” reserve catcher J.C. Escarra told the New York Daily News’ Gary Phillips. (Escarra is 3-for-4 on successful challenges as a catcher, by the way.)