BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Major league baseball’s been a help to the SEC’s rule changes on the diamond, be it replay review or in-game communication between players, and the MLB showed commissioner Greg Sankey long ago what’s to come.
Last week, the conference announced it’d introduce an ABS (automated ball-strike system) challenge at this year’s SEC Tournament, which runs May 19-24 in Hoover, Alabama. It’s akin to the MLB’s first-year ABS review rule, and it was something Sankey first desired eight years prior.
In 2018, Sankey was in the Bronx for a rivalry matchup between the Yankees and Red Sox, and manager Joe Girardi exited the home dugout to argue a blown call late in a one-run game.
“At the time, the MLB brought the boom box out and they put the headsets on,” Sankey said Monday, May 11, at the Associated Press Sports Editors Southeast Region meeting at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. “I came back and said, ‘We need to move towards that.’ Because it took all the emotion out of the moment. Let’s just get to the right answer, to the extent we’re able to.”
It was something Sankey saw in full during this year’s Final Four, when he attended an Arizona Diamondbacks game.
“It was fascinating; it was clear,” Sankey said. “It’s not that long a time it’s up there and you can see the penalty, ball or strike. What’s amazing, for all the criticism, the variances are pretty small between what is a ball and what is a strike. And the good news is, our staff was already on it.”
The SEC was already working toward implementing such a rule, Sankey said, with the lone snag he mentioned being a question from the NCAA rules committee.
“My advocacy is, we have this great track record of what I would describe (as) being on the leading edge, and making sure the homework is done and the system’s implemented well,” Sankey said.
At this year’s conference tournament, pitchers, catchers and hitters will be able to challenge balls and strikes throughout the game with ABS. While MLB teams are granted two challenges per game and get to retain their challenge if they’re successful, SEC teams will be allowed three ABS challenges. Each team will also get one extra challenge in extra innings.
The conference has also confirmed pitch location on an electronic strike zone will be displayed on the video board at Hoover Metropolitan Complex, where the tournament is being played.
Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.To support Adam’s work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: What Greg Sankey said about ABS challenge system at SEC Tournament