A young Baltimore Orioles catcher etched his name in baseball history Wednesday night by becoming the first major league player to end a game with a winning challenge using the new Automated Ball-Strike System.
Samuel Basallo, just 21 years old, made the historic call during the ninth inning of Baltimore’s 8-3 victory over the Texas Rangers. With two outs and Albert Suárez pitching for the Orioles, home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez called Suárez’s 1-2 pitch to Evan Carter a ball. Basallo immediately challenged the call.
The replay review revealed that most of the baseball had crossed through the upper outside edge of the strike zone, overturning the original call and ending the game in Baltimore’s favor.
“I think we had two (challenges left) at that point,” Basallo explained through a translator after the game. “I thought why not use it? Better to use it and see what happens instead of holding onto it.”
The rookie catcher, who also launched a 437-foot home run during Wednesday’s contest, showed some nervous energy during the replay review before celebrating with Suárez on the pitcher’s mound. Suárez had thrown three innings to earn his first save since 2017.
“I wasn’t thinking it was a strike, and then when he challenged I was like, ‘OK, let’s see,’” Suárez commented. “Good thing we got it.”
This marks the inaugural season that the automated ball-strike technology has been implemented in regular-season major league baseball games.
The Orioles previously utilized a challenge in another high-pressure situation on Sunday, converting what would have been a full-count walk into a strikeout during their 8-6 victory over Minnesota. That challenge resulted in Twins manager Derek Shelton being ejected from the game, as he argued the challenge signal wasn’t made quickly enough.
Suárez had been recalled to the major leagues after Zach Eflin was forced to exit Tuesday’s start due to elbow discomfort. Following an early morning flight Wednesday, Suárez was able to provide much-needed relief for the team’s bullpen.
When asked about his overall opinion of the Automated Ball-Strike System, the 36-year-old pitcher offered a candid response.
“I think I like it more after what happened today,” Suárez said.
