Pirates Ace Paul Skenes Loses 4 strikes to ABS Challenges in Spring Debut

National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes lost four strikes to challenges in his first spring training start. Skenes struck out four and walked four over 2.1 innings for Pittsburgh on Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves, who were 4-for-4 against the right-hander on challenges to get called strikes overturned to balls. The 53-pitch outing is expected to be the only one for Skenes before he joins the U.S. for the World Baseball Classic. He allowed one hit and one run while facing 12 batters. He is going into his third season with the Pirates. Skenes threw 27 pitches for strikes, along with four other pitches initially called strikes by home plate umpire Chris Segal that Braves hitters challenged through the automated ball-strike system — the so-called robot umpires. Three of those challenges came on consecutive batters in the first inning. [Robot Umpires are Coming to MLB: Here’s How They Work] Matt Olson challenged an 82.3 mph curveball that was called a strike, and had a smile on his face when replay showed indeed that the 1-1 pitch was just off the plate. He went on to draw a walk. Jurickson Profar then challenged a 98.3 mph fastball for a strike on the first pitch he faced, and it was overturned to a 1-0 count before he also walked. Austin Riley sought a replay when a 99 mph pitch on an 0-2 count was called a strike, but was above the zone, though on the next pitch he struck out swinging on a 98.5 mph fastball just below that. In the Braves second, Ronald Acuna asked for a review and got a ball on a 97.6 mph fastball off the plate that had been called a strike. While the overturned strike thrown to Riley was the fastest of the day by Skenes, he was consistently in the upper-90s throughout his outing. How does the Automated Ball-Strike System work? Stadiums are outfitted with cameras that track each pitch and judge whether it crossed home plate within the strike zone. In early testing, umpires wore ear buds and would hear “ball” or “strike,” then relay that to players and fans with traditional hand signals. The challenge system adds a wrinkle. Human umps call every pitch, but each team has the ability to challenge two calls per game. Teams that burn their challenges get one additional challenge in each extra inning. A team retains its challenge if successful, similar to the regulations for big-league teams with video reviews, which were first used for home run calls in August 2008 and widely expanded to many calls for the 2014 season. Only a batter, pitcher or catcher may challenge a call, signaling with the tap of a helmet or cap; and assistance from the dugout is not allowed. A challenge must be made within 2 seconds, and the graphic of the pitch and strike zone are shown on the scoreboard and broadcast feed. The umpire then announces the updated count. MLB estimates the process averages 17 seconds. The Associated Press contributed to this report.