Athletics Lose Challenge After ABS Confirms Strike Call in Yankees Game

The Athletics defeated the New York Yankees 6-4 on May 31, 2026, in West Sacramento, California, after an automated ball-strike system call left the home team without a challenge. In the fourth inning, with a 2-0 count, Yankees pitcher Ryan Weathers threw a pitch to Athletics left fielder Tyler Soderstrom that plate umpire Adam Beck initially called a strike.

Soderstrom immediately challenged the call.

After a short delay, Beck announced that the ABS system had confirmed the pitch as a strike, and the Athletics lost their challenge. 8 inches and should have been ruled a ball. Soderstrom eventually drew a walk in the at-bat, but the Athletics could not recover the lost challenge.

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said the explanation on the field was that umpires were told from the communication upstairs, the controller of the ABS, that the call was confirmed. Kotsay said the Athletics saw the replay at the end of the inning on the iPad in the dugout and noticed it should have been called a ball.

Kotsay talked to the umpires between innings but could not get the challenge back.

He said umpires only have access to the information they are told through their earpiece and do not have access to the iPad. Kotsay said this is something the Athletics need clarified through the league and they will have that conversation with the league.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on May 31, 2026, that he had not seen that happen before this season and that his understanding was that the Yankees got one.