BALTIMORE -- MLB hitters have much more to think about when stepping into the batter’s box these days than at any previous time in the sport’s long history.
There’s a pitch timer counting down, so hitters need to be ready and engaged quickly. If they’re going to ask for time, they can’t wait too long, either. And now, with the introduction of the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System, powered by T-Mobile, players must decide whether to question if a pitch is a ball or a strike -- and they have to be fast at that, too.
Multiple instances during the Orioles’ 8-5, 10-inning loss to the D-backs on Wednesday afternoon at Camden Yards illustrated the intricacies of being a big league hitter in 2026.
Let’s start by examining what happened in the second inning, when Coby Mayo challenged a 3-0 pitch from Arizona left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez -- or did he? It appeared to be a bit of a curious decision to use an ABS challenge on a borderline pitch that early in the game, considering teams can only lose twice before not being able to challenge again.
The 3-0 fastball was confirmed to be a strike. But Mayo said he didn’t want to challenge it. While the 24-year-old thought it was a bit outside, he understood the game situation. However, he started to raise his hand -- which home-plate umpire John Tumpane thought was a request -- though Mayo didn’t tap his helmet (the sign to challenge).
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“I think it’s just like an instinct now that we have challenges, and I’ve had them for the last three years now in Triple-A,” Mayo said. “When you think a pitch is a ball, you kind of immediately pick up your hand and I vocally said out loud, ‘That’s a ball.’ But I’m not physically trying to tell him that. I’m not trying to show him up. It’s more just a mental -- I think a lot of guys do it -- talk out loud, talk to [myself] a little bit.
“And so he heard me say that, plus he saw a slight gesture toward my head, and he said that he thought I challenged it.”
Mayo doubled later in the at-bat, connecting on the next pitch and sending it to left field. But Baltimore went the rest of the game knowing it could only lose one more ABS challenge.
“I don’t want to burn it that early,” Mayo said. “I mean, I did think it was a ball. But a 3-0 count in the second inning, I’m not going to try to burn a challenge then. It was more just like an instinct, just putting my hand up, and then realizing that’s not worth it.”
“The home-plate umpires now, they have a lot that they have to take in,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “So he kind of put two and two together, even though Mayo didn't want to challenge.”
A similar moment occurred in the seventh, when Pete Alonso struck out on a pitch-timer violation while facing right-hander Kevin Ginkel.
With a 2-2 count, Alonso called for time and wanted to step out of the box. However, the 31-year-old slugger didn’t do so by the time on the pitch clock read 9 seconds, instead not getting it off until there were 8 seconds remaining -- the time at which a hitter must be in the box, ready and engaged.
That was the explanation Tumpane gave Albernaz, who came out and discussed the matter after Alonso got frustrated and retreated to the first-base dugout.
“That's the blanket thing,” Albernaz said. “Each umpire behind home plate handles the game differently, and so we just have to know how they're going to handle the game, as far as prep work and stuff. We've got to be better at that.”
Although the O’s were frustrated by the moments featuring Mayo and Alonso, they were more upset by the game’s end result. Baltimore had a chance to capture a series win, and instead, it dropped to 9-9 following a 3-3 homestand against San Francisco and Arizona.
After a back-and-forth affair, the D-backs scored three runs in the 10th on a two-run homer by Adrian Del Castillo and an RBI single from Nolan Arenado, with both knocks coming off right-hander Tyler Wells.
“Obviously, this one stings big time,” Albernaz said. “We’ve just got to clean up the defense. That’s it. Even though our starting pitchers are talented and our relievers are talented, it’s really tough to give the other team more than 27 outs. That’s the biggest thing we have to tackle, just cleaning up our defense.”