The new system whereby Major League Baseball players can challenge the ball or strike calls of umpires has been a lot more fun than I anticipated. I had a sneaking sense that the reason for instituting this system was to habituate baseball fans to the accuracy of the computer system, which is entirely self-justifying; it simply tells you it was right by drawing a picture of the call it made. As a side effect, it would humble and potentially humiliate and discredit forever human umpires, at least at ball-and-strike calling.

By the end of this weekend, I was thinking about how God had mercy on Ángel Hernández by allowing him to retire before this system came in.

C. B. Bucknor, however, cannot escape.

CB Bucknor had an awful day yesterday pic.twitter.com/e4GiHplEx1 — Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) March 29, 2026

CB Bucknor had an awful day yesterday pic.twitter.com/e4GiHplEx1

— Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) March 29, 2026

And we had our first Old Man Yelling at Machine-style ejection, though I think he was really arguing that the pitcher did not challenge the call in a timely enough fashion:

Twins manager Derek Shelton was LIVID as he argued that Ryan Helsley didn't challenge this call fast enough pic.twitter.com/NnsgUb3iap — Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) March 29, 2026

Twins manager Derek Shelton was LIVID as he argued that Ryan Helsley didn't challenge this call fast enough pic.twitter.com/NnsgUb3iap

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) March 29, 2026

And finally, some players are obviously letting out years of frustration as they show up the umpires:

the most confident challenge so far this season pic.twitter.com/knir96q133 — Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) March 29, 2026

the most confident challenge so far this season pic.twitter.com/knir96q133

— Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) March 29, 2026

I reserve the right to change my mind about this system as the season progresses. I suspect I might come to find it tedious. Or inhuman. But oh man, this weekend it’s been a joy.

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