If the introduction of ABS was supposed to quietly clean up the edges of umpiring, it has instead turned the spotlight all the way up. In Cincinnati, C.B. Bucknor found himself on the wrong end of that spotlight—six times, to be exact—as calls were overturned in real time to the roaring approval of 40,000 fans. Reds slugger Eugenio Suárez personally went back-to-back in embarrassing the strike zone, successfully challenging consecutive pitches and exposing just how far off they were. What followed wasn’t exactly a graceful adjustment. Instead, frustration boiled over, culminating in a questionable punchout of Trevor Story on a checked swing—no appeal asked, no help sought—prompting Alex Cora to storm out and say what just about everyone in the ballpark was already thinking.

*** Now chatting in #ABSShowdown ***

BuckNo: play ball

i will be calling a perfect game today

*** EugeNoYouDidnt has entered the chat ***

EugeNoYouDidnt: hey blue

just a heads up

i brought my challenge finger today

*** Pitch ***

BuckNo: strike

EugeNoYouDidnt: …that was outside, hermano

challenge

*** abs_robot has entered the chat ***

abs_robot: processing…

that pitch missed by 4.7 inches

call overturned

CrowdNoise.exe: OHHHHHHHHHHHH

BuckNo: …fine

*** Next Pitch ***

BuckNo: strike

EugeNoYouDidnt: again?

challenge again

abs_robot: processing…

that pitch missed by 2 timezones

call overturned

CrowdNoise.exe: OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

EugeNoYouDidnt: back-to-back, my guy

i could do this all night

BuckNo: you think this is funny

EugeNoYouDidnt: a little bit, yes

*** pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth has entered the chat ***

pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: SIX OVERTURNS???

SIX???

at that point the robot should get your parking spot

BuckNo: the machine is wrong

i am right

i have been right since 1999

*** TrevorStoryBook has entered the chat ***

TrevorStoryBook: check swing

i held up

BuckNo: strike three

TrevorStoryBook: you didn’t even ask the base ump

BuckNo: i saw it

TrevorStoryBook: you didn’t even LOOK

BuckNo: i felt it

*** CoraTheExplorer has entered the chat ***

CoraTheExplorer: alright that’s enough

you’re not even pretending anymore

you got six calls overturned and now you’re freelancing

BuckNo: you want to argue

CoraTheExplorer: yes

i would love to argue

*** CoraTheExplorer has been ejected ***

CoraTheExplorer: worth it

*** WORDUPTHOME has entered the chat ***

WORDUPTHOME: HEY GUYS THIS IS JI

JIM THOME

I’VE SEEN A LOT OF STRIKE ZONES IN MY DAY

BUT THIS ONE’S GOT MORE MOVEMENT THAN A KNUCKLEBALL

OLD JIMBO SAYS IF THE ROBOT’S RIGHT SIX TIMES

MAYBE IT’S NOT THE ROBOT, SPORT

*** rob_manfred.exe has entered the chat ***

rob_manfred.exe: this is exactly the intended outcome 🙂

transparency through humiliation 🙂

fans love a villain arc 🙂

pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: you created a system where the ump gets booed in surround sound

honestly? i respect it

*** MLB_NewsBot has entered the chat ***

MLB_NewsBot: FINAL: Reds fans win, everyone else confused

C.B. Bucknor has SIX calls overturned by ABS

Eugenio Suárez challenges two consecutive pitches successfully

Alex Cora ejected after arguing a check-swing strikeout

*** EugeNoYouDidnt has left to frame both overturned pitches ***

*** TrevorStoryBook has left to rehearse check swings in a mirror ***

*** CoraTheExplorer has left to finish arguing in the tunnel ***

*** pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth has left to challenge gravity ***

*** WORDUPTHOME has left to write “BALL MAY LIE, BUT ROBOT DEFINITELY DOESN’T” ***

*** BuckNo has left to argue with a Roomba ***