Torey Lovullo Had 3-Word Response to ABS Challenge System

On Tuesday, news broke. Major League Baseball will be implementing the Automatic Balls and Strikes challenge system in the 2026 regular season.

In his Tuesday pregame press conference, manager Torey Lovullo gave his take on the situation.

MLB ABS Challenge System Background

Rather than fully automating the strike zone and removing umpires entirely, teams will be given two opportunities to challenge a ball or strike call per game, with an additional challenge given in each extra inning (if and only if teams exhaust their challenges prior to extras).

Pitchers, catchers and hitters will be permitted to challenge, depending on their own clubs' individual situational guidelines.

MLB implemented the system in the minor leagues this season, as well as in big league Spring Training. Now, it will head to the regular season.

Much has been made of just who stands to benefit the most. Players have been generally in favor, though some have expressed concerns.

Lovullo, however, had three simple words to describe his reaction.

Arizona Diamondbacks' Torey Lovullo On ABS Challenge System

"I like it," Lovullo said

"I think players just want to get calls right. ... I know the umpires do their absolute best. They're not trying to miss calls. This game has changed over the past several years where the ball's traveling at an extremely high velocity and there's calls that are missed. It's very natural in this game.

"They figured out a way to perfect it and get it right. Major League Baseball continues to stay ahead of things," Lovullo said

The manager said changes like the ABS challenge system have been implemented in the past and have become crucial facets of the game. He expectes the challenge system to be similar.

"To start the 2014 season they had this new thing called instant replay. I can't imagine the game without it today. I think we'll say the same thing with all the rule changes and all the things they're trying to do to make this game as clean and as natural as possible," he said.

"With new technology and the things that can get it right, I think players are for it, for sure. As I am."

Lovullo said the system allows for hitters to get away from situations that advantage the pitcher. Borderline calls on the edge of the zone will no longer always be awarded to the pitcher.

"From a hitter's standpoint, my generation, I feel like the pitchers had an advantage. They were getting balls off the edges of the plate. Now the balls are having to be put on the plate. I think that's the way this rule should be," Lovullo said.

The system will become a challenge (no pun intended) in and of itself. Teams will have to determine who is allowed to challenge and in what situations.

Lovullo said the Diamondbacks have not made decisions with regard to the way they'll approach the system, but he has an idea.

"We're going to put some protocols in place. I don't know what those are, but from the small experience we had during spring training... the pitchers were a little bit more emotional, and I think they were the ones that were missing those calls.

"The catcher and the hitters were usually pretty tight on the zone. So we're going to definitely give it to the catchers. ... I'm going to just try to figure out what the best solution is to get the plays right and have the right guys call it," Lovullo said.

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