MLB ump's blown strike call overturned by ABS leaves announcer stunned: 'Yikes'
During a Tigers-Braves game, home-plate umpire Roberto Ortiz made a significant missed call that was overturned by the automated ball-strike (ABS) system, revealing a pitch down the middle was incorrectly called a ball. The error left Tigers broadcaster Jason Benetti visibly stunned, uttering 'Yikes' on air. The incident adds to a growing record of inaccurate calls by Ortiz, previously documented in multiple games before the ABS system's implementation.
- ▪Home-plate umpire Roberto Ortiz missed a clear strike during the Tigers-Braves game, which was corrected by the ABS system.
- ▪Tigers play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti reacted with disbelief, saying, 'It is...yikes,' upon seeing the replay.
- ▪Ortiz had prior incidents of poor call accuracy, including missing 25 calls in a 2025 game and 30 in a 2024 Pirates-Royals game.
- ▪The ABS system, introduced by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, allows for challenges and has increased fan engagement during games.
- ▪Manfred noted that fans are highly engaged during ABS challenges, often focusing on the Jumbotron for the review.
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OutKick MLB ump's blown strike call overturned by ABS leaves announcer stunned: 'Yikes' The computer umpire revealed Ortiz missed a ball right down the heart of the plate during Thursday's game By Joe Kinsey OutKick Published May 1, 2026 4:47pm EDT Facebook Twitter Threads Flipboard Comments Print Email Add Fox News on Google close Video ABS is Awesome | Hot Mic w/ Hutton and Withrow ABS has made baseball better This is why ABS exists and should be celebrated by baseball fans. if (window && window.foxstrike && Array.isArray(window.foxstrike.cmd)) { window.foxstrike.cmd.push(function(Strike) { Strike.insertAd('tablet', 'lb2', 'tablet-tw-ad-lb2', ''); }); } else { console.error('Error: window.foxstrike not found'); } if (window && window.foxstrike && Array.isArray(window.foxstrike.cmd)) {…
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