Shelby ejection marks first major league ban for an ABS strike-zone challenge
Minnesota Twins manager Derek Shelton was ejected from Sunday night against Baltimore after arguing a pitch call under the new Automated Baseball Scoring System. This incident makes him only one of two managers to be removed in Major League history for challenging an ABS strike-zone determination so far this season (the other being Jim Leyland). The ejection occurred during Minnesota's 8-6 loss, highlighting how technology has not yet eliminated emotion from the game as Shelton himself noted before entering the dugout.
Key Points
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1Minnesota manager Derek Shelton was ejected from Sunday's game against Baltimore as MLB recorded its first ejection under the new ABS challenge system.
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2Shelton received a ball call on Josh Bell that he argued should have been struck, triggering an automatic review and subsequent penalty for not challenging fast enough.
Developments
Perspectives
Derek Shelton was ejected from Sunday's game against Baltimore after arguing that pitcher Ryan Helsley did not call for the pitch review fast enough, following an ABS overturn of a ball called on Josh Bell.
— [Mar 30, 15:27] [Nypost]The new MLB challenge system is already creating chaos in its first few weeks as it produced Shelton's ejection during the season opener against Baltimore with one out and two runs down for Minnesota.
— [Mar 30, 01:59] (Yardbarker)Shelton became only the second manager to be ejected from a game this year after Red Sox coach Alex Cora was tossed earlier in Cincinnati during their matchup against Cleveland on Saturday night.
— (Startribune)Twins manager Derek Shelton became the first major league ejection for a dispute over strike-zone challenges after arguing that Orioles closer Ryan Helsely tapped his head too slowly to initiate an appeal. The umpire ruled Helsey's two-step delivery and subsequent challenge as occurring outside the required three-second window, overturning what was called a ball on full count into a third-strike call by Shelton's pitcher Josh Bell.