Twins manager Derek Shelton voices frustration after overturned ABS calls

"I mean, I understood where he was coming from because I had felt like the umpire didn't see me right away, and so I was kind of confused," Helsley said. "And then, I think I did it again. But [second-base umpire] Laz [Diaz] behind me kind of took up for me and was like, 'He did it right away,' which, I know we're probably going to go through some growing pains with this because it's so new, and I think we saw that today. I can respect Shelton for trying to not get him to do it there, because it did seem like it was a little long in that moment."

The Orioles had four challenges on the day, all successful, with the final two coming in Bell’s at-bat. The Twins had a runner on first with one out, and the overturned strike call prevented the Twins from having a runner in scoring position. 

The strikeout of Bell was critical, as catcher Victor Caratani had two singles already in the game. Caratani would reach on a throwing error by shortstop Gunnar Henderson, which would have scored infielder Luke Keaschall. 

The rule for the new systems is that the pitcher, catcher or batter must immediately tap their head to initiate the challenge with no help from the dugout. 

The ABS challenge system has been good so far

The new challenge system seems to be going well despite Shelton’s ejection. According to Codify Baseball on X, 69 percent of overturned calls have come against the 10 oldest umpires, while 39 percent have come against the 10 youngest umpires. 

Umpire CB Bucknor was the latest to have his calls overturned, with Cincinnati Reds third baseman/designated hitter Eugenio Suarez challenging two missed Strike 3 calls. 

According to ESPN, through the first 12 games, teams have had a 61.3 percent success rate (19-for-31). Shelton won’t be the first manager tossed from a game this season because he felt the tap of the head wasn’t "immediate." However, the ABS challenge system has so far proved to be a strong check on umpires' calls.