Padres' Manny Machado Reveals Thoughts on ABS Challenge System After Making History

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado made All-Star Game history on Tuesday.

it wasn't the kind of history he was hoping to make.

Machado, batting for the National League in the first inning of the Midsummer Classic, took a two-strike pitch from American League starter Tarik Skubal at his knees. The Tigers' lefty thought he had strike three. So did catcher Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners. Home plate umpire Dan Iassogna thought it was a ball.

Raleigh did something no pitcher, catcher or batter has done since spring training. He tapped his helmet, challenging the call from Iassogna, triggering a review from MLB's ABS (automatic balls/strikes) system.

Iassogna's call was overturned. Machado retreated to the National League dugout at Truist Park, resigned to his fate on the short end of history.

"I was the first since spring training, so yeah, I kind of figured I'd probably be the first," Machado told reporters in Atlanta. "I should have swung at the pitch, actually. I knew it was a strike instantly. Raleigh, man, he got a perfect score last time — he's still rolling. I don't think I want to play against him when the ABS is on."

The ABS challenge system, tested at various minor league levels since 2021 (and at Triple-A since 2022), went into effect for the first time in MLB games in spring training.

While it might not take permanent effect until after the next round of Collective Bargaining between MLB and the MLB Players' Association, the league took it for a spin Tuesday at its marquee mid-year event.

The move came after a generally positive reception from the fans when the league tested it in spring training. ABS utilizes the Hawk-Eye system to track a pitch's trajectory and location to relay an immediate verdict on whether it was a ball or a strike.

Machado, 33, has seen just about everything in a major league career that began in 2012 with the Baltimore Orioles. Tuesday marked his seventh-ever appearance in an All-Star Game, and his third since signing an 11-year, $350 million contract with the Padres in 2019.

Machado is slashing .292/.350/.490 in 96 games, each of which would be his highest average in a full season since 2022. He and the Padres resume regular season play Friday in Washington D.C. against the Nationals — no helmet-tapping allowed.

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