We can say with certainty, no MLB game has ever ended like this before

BALTIMORE -- With two outs in the top of the ninth inning at Camden Yards on Wednesday, a 1-2 fastball from Orioles right-hander Albert Suárez landed near the upper-outside corner of the strike zone. The Rangers’ Evan Carter didn’t swing, allowing it to be called a ball.

However, Baltimore had not yet lost using the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System, powered by T-Mobile, during the game, having gone 2-for-2 to that point. That meant the team could still lose one and have another remaining. So, catcher Samuel Basallo initiated a late challenge on Suárez’s offering, as the O’s had nothing to lose.

Thus came an historic conclusion between the Orioles and Rangers.

Basallo’s challenge was successful. The call was overturned to a called third strike for a game-ending punchout, resulting in the O’s securing an 8-3 victory in ABS walk-off fashion. The system was implemented in MLB at the start of this season, and this marked the first time a call was overturned to end a game.

“We still had two there at the end of the game, so I thought, ‘Why not use it?’” Basallo said via Orioles team interpreter Brandon Quinones. “Better to use it and see what happens instead of holding onto it and maybe not using it the rest of the game.”

It was exactly the right decision, considering the outcome. It also illustrated the importance of teams being smart with ABS challenges, as Baltimore would not have been able to attempt one on Suárez’s final pitch if it had lost twice earlier in the game.

For the O’s, it was a fun and unique way to seal a series-closing victory. They also continued their early success using the ABS system, as they've gone 12-for-14 on challenges through six games, which included a pivotal overturn on a challenge by closer Ryan Helsley in Sunday’s 8-6 win over the Twins. Basallo is 0-for-1 as a hitter, but he's 3-for-4 behind the plate.

“We were trying to tell [Basallo] in the ninth, there was one [earlier in the inning] that looked close from the side,” Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said. “He looked over and I was like, ‘We’ve got two. You can use one.’ So I’m glad he used it.”

“I wasn’t thinking it was a strike, and then, when he challenged it, I was like, ‘OK, let’s see,’” Suárez added. “Good thing we got it.”

Suárez, 36, is only in his fifth MLB season, but that’s because he pitched in Japan (2019-21) and Korea (2022-23) for five years. What has the well-traveled veteran thought of the introduction of ABS to the big leagues?

“I think I like it more after what happened today," Suárez said with a smile.

On the other side, the Rangers experienced a new type of disappointment. Carter initially thought he’d still have a chance to extend the game, and instead, he retreated to the third-base dugout as O’s players came onto the field to celebrate.

“It's just super anticlimactic,” Carter said. “I think a lot of us are just trying to learn the new zone. Obviously, with the measurements they took and the way it is on the plate, it's a different zone than we've been used to. I mean, he called it a ball. So, it's one of those things that it's tough because, obviously, as a catcher and a pitcher, you're really happy about that, being able to get that call. And then, as a hitter, you're like, 'That sucks,' you know?”

“I think that's the toughest one, right? When you're ending a game on ABS,” Texas manager Skip Schumaker added. “You're kind of waiting for that day, and unfortunately, it was against us today. What's it going to look like later in the year and potentially October and all that stuff, right? For everybody, that's the one tough part. But hopefully, we're on the better side of it later on."