MLB Umpire CB Bucknor Breaks New Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System

The veteran umpire's notorious missed calls expose limitations of the league's new technology.

Mar. 28, 2026 at 10:06pm

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting a baseball umpire making a controversial call at home plate, with the umpire's body and the field of play fractured into sharp, overlapping planes of color.The new automated ball-strike challenge system is no match for the unchallenged authority of veteran umpire CB Bucknor.Boston Today

In the first few days of MLB's new automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge system, longtime umpire CB Bucknor has already found a way to circumvent the technology. During a game between the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds, Bucknor made a clear missed call on a pitch to Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story, but the Red Sox had already exhausted their challenges by the fourth inning, leaving them powerless to correct Bucknor's error.

Why it matters

The incident with Bucknor highlights the ongoing challenges of relying on human umpires, even with advanced technology in place. While the ABS system is designed to reduce umpire mistakes, it still requires teams to strategically use their limited challenges, and umpires like Bucknor who are known for poor call accuracy can still impact games in significant ways.

The details

In the Saturday afternoon game, Bucknor called Story out on a pitch that was clearly off the plate, a mistake that the ABS system was intended to correct. However, the Red Sox had already used up their two challenges by the top of the fourth inning, leaving them unable to appeal the bad call. This forced Story to walk back to the dugout, and the Red Sox had to endure five more innings of potential Bucknor errors without the ability to challenge them.

  • The incident occurred on March 28, 2026 during a game between the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds.
  • The Red Sox had exhausted their two challenges by the top of the fourth inning.

The players

CB Bucknor

A veteran MLB umpire known for making frequent and egregious missed calls, who was behind the plate for the Red Sox-Reds game.

Trevor Story

The Boston Red Sox shortstop who was the victim of Bucknor's missed call in the game.

Boston Red Sox

The MLB team that was impacted by Bucknor's missed call and inability to challenge it due to their earlier unsuccessful challenges.

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What they’re saying

“The pain of having no ABS challenges left. Especially with CB Bucknor behind the plate.”

— Tyler Milliken

“CB Bucknor vs. ABS”

— Jared Carrabis

“Every team should get an extra challenge when CB Bucknor is behind the plate.”

— Boston Strong

What’s next

MLB teams will likely begin developing more sophisticated strategies for using their limited challenges, potentially even scouting umpires like Bucknor to determine when to hold onto challenges. The league may also consider expanding the ABS system or making further adjustments to address the limitations exposed by this incident.

The takeaway

Despite the implementation of the new automated ball-strike challenge system, veteran umpire CB Bucknor has already found a way to circumvent the technology, highlighting the ongoing challenges of relying on human officials even with advanced tools in place. This incident underscores the need for MLB to continue evolving its approach to umpiring and officiating in order to truly minimize the impact of human error on the game.