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Aaron Boone despises the ABS challenge system
Aaron Boone despises the ABS challenge system
Opening Day for the 2025 MLB Season has arrived! There are a couple different rule changes for this season, but one controversial one–regarding the ABS Challenge System for balls-strikes, which was tested out this spring–will not be one of them for the new season.
However, that doesn’t mean many people around baseball arent’ giving their opinion on it. Depending on who you ask, individuals have mixed feelings about it. I’m firm in my belief that I should be implemented ASAP, but veteran pitcher Max Scherzer was among the few who weren’t endorsing the idea.
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone was another who despised the idea.
“I just honestly hated it,” Boone lamented on the Talkin’ Yanks podcast this week. “Just a frivolous 1-0 challenge in the second inning, stop the game. Boom, oh it changes now it’s not 1-1, it’s 2-0. Inevitably, you’re gonna have the last play of the game–a big win–overturned on a ball an inch one way or the other.”
Boone, who signed an extension with the Yankees at the start of spring, has been infamously known for some of his fiery ejections due to balls-strikes. Here are a few below:
However, the 52-year-old believes that the umpires are as strong as they’ve ever been.
“I’m the guy that gets kicked out and argues the strike zone and everything,” he said. “I think our umpires are as good as they’ve ever been. They keep getting better. We just know when they miss by an inch, I’m all over you when you’re missing by an inch. But the reality is they’re getting better and better all the time and I don’t think I want it.”
I understand Boone’s point that maybe a challenge in the second inning would be annoying and ludicrous. Though I’m honestly not sure how often players would utilize it early in games if they have, say, two with the chance of losing them if they were wrong.
With different challenge systems being implemented across sports, the ABS challenge system appears to be one of the most efficient ways. As I belabored before, it’s like the tennis challenge–it maybe takes 10 seconds and we move on to the next pitch.
I understand that Boone is more old school in wanting to keep the game flow going, but I don’t see much harm with the challenge system once it’s implemented. We’ve all adjusted to the other (silly) rules, why not this one?
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