MLB broadcasters to make major on-screen change ahead of first season with ABS

MLB fans will have a slightly different experience watching games on television in 2026.

Since its inception in 2001 on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, viewers have been used to seeing the Strike Zone box on screens during games.

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Formerly known as ‘The K-Zone’, it was implemented to give viewers an accurate representation of the strike zone and sometimes put umpires in the firing line.

But in 2026, things will be different. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the box will still be present on both local and national broadcasts, but it will no longer indicate whether the pitch was a ball or a strike.

Previously, if the pitch was considered a strike the on-screen mark would be filled, and if it were a ball, the mark would be hollow.

Now, it will be up to viewers to make their own interpretations as to whether the pitch was a ball or strike.

Fans of minor league baseball should be familiar with the ABS challenge system.

MLB has often used its affiliates as testing grounds for procedural changes like the pitch clock and the extra innings “ghost runner” before implementing them in the major leagues.

They’ve done the same with ABS and challenges, which have been used in the minor leagues in since 2022.

The system started gaining more traction lately and was demoed in spring training last year. Now, it will be implemented in full for the 2026 MLB season.

Batters, pitchers, or catchers will be able to contest the home plate umpire’s call by tapping their head within a few seconds of the pitch being thrown.

Each team will begin the game with two challenges, if successful they will retain the challenge, and if not, they will lose it.

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MLB being cautious with ABS roll-out with Astros sign-stealing scandal still fresh

As a part of MLB’s effort to avoid any exploitation of ABS, they are also banning the strike-zone box from being shown on any in-stadium game feeds, except on monitors in the broadcast booth.

It is understandable why the league is being so cautious with the roll-out of ABS, giving the sign-stealing scandal of 2017.

The Houston Astros placed a camera in centre field to steal the catcher’s signs, and they would then relay the information to the dugout.

An Astros official would bang on a trash can, telling the batter what specific pitch type would be coming.

The scandal forced MLB to implement stricter rules against using technology for sign-stealing, including the adoption of PitchCom in 2022, which allows for the electronic transmission of signs.

On the face of it, it would seem the banning of the strike zone box from within the stadium is slightly over-the-top, giving the challenge call must come within seconds of the pitch being thrown.

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But the league is attempting to cover all its tracks in an effort to avoid another scandal and more controversy.

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