There’s no denying the 2026 MLB season will look vastly different. While the structure of the sport will look exactly the same, batters, pitchers and catchers will have a new tool at their disposal in the form of the Automatic Ball-Strike Challenge System.
The system, which has been in use in the minor leagues in previous years and was also used at spring training last season, allows for teams to request a challenge of a pitch for the first time in MLB history.
If the batter, pitcher or catcher wants to challenge whether a pitch wasn’t a ball or strike, they just need to tap the top of their helmet and a replay of the pitch location will be shown on the video board.