Pirates' Nick Gonzales Wins Unintended ABS Challenge

Gonzales initially wanted to challenge a strike call, then changed his mind, but ended up winning the review anyway.

Apr. 11, 2026 at 1:19am

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting a baseball player batting and an umpire's strike call, with sharp, overlapping planes of color representing the dynamic action of the game.An unexpected ABS challenge leads to an amusing sequence, exposing the unpredictable nature of new baseball technology.Gonzales Today

In the seventh inning of a 2-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs, Pirates player Nick Gonzales went through an amusing sequence of events related to an Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge. Gonzales initially wanted to challenge a strike call, then decided against it, but ended up winning the challenge anyway.

Why it matters

The ABS system, which uses automated technology to call balls and strikes, has been a point of contention in Major League Baseball. This incident highlights the unpredictable nature of the system and the challenges players face in navigating it during gameplay.

The details

With two outs in the seventh inning, Gonzales took a pitch that was called a strike. He initially signaled to the umpire that he wanted to challenge the call, but then quickly waved it off, indicating he no longer wanted to challenge. However, the umpire had already initiated the review process, and the call was ultimately overturned, giving Gonzales a ball instead of a strike.

  • The incident occurred in the seventh inning of the game on April 10, 2026.

The players

Nick Gonzales

A player for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Chicago Cubs

The opposing team that the Pirates were playing against.

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What they’re saying

“I was just trying to get the right call, but then I changed my mind. I guess the umpire had already started the review, so it didn't matter what I wanted.”

— Nick Gonzales, Pirates Player

The takeaway

This incident highlights the unpredictable nature of the ABS system and the challenges players face in navigating it during gameplay. It also raises questions about the umpire's role in initiating reviews and whether players should have more control over the challenge process.