Why Former Red Sox Ace Will ‘Never’ Use ABS Challenge System

Not every pitcher will embrace MLB’s new automated balls-strike challenge system this season.

Some pitchers will relish the opportunity to prove an umpire wrong and challenge a called ball, but not Chris Sale. The former Boston Red Sox starter, who is preparing for his third season with the Atlanta Braves, offered a different perspective before the ABS rollout.

Sale told reporters Friday, per Fox 5 Atlanta’s Justin Felder, that he has no plans to utilize the ABS system.

“I will never challenge a pitch,” Sale declared. “I will never do it. I won’t do it.”

The nine-time All-Star will instead leave it to the professionals paid to decipher balls and strikes.

“Because I’m not an umpire,” Sale replied. “That’s their job. I’m a starting pitcher. I’ve never called balls and strikes in my life. Plus, I’m greedy. I know that. I think they’re all strikes.”

But don’t assume the 36-year-old is just a cranky veteran afraid of change. Sale won’t challenge a call because he realizes his personal bias and competitive juices could compel him to question a pitch outside the strike zone, especially since his catchers are so adept at pitch framing.

Sale doesn’t want to leave Atlanta’s bullpen without a challenge if he uses both unsuccessfully.

“I like pitches that are on the corner that might be a little off,” Sale explained. “In the heat of (the) moment, especially if you throw a good pitch, you got (Sean Murphy) or (Drake Baldwin) out there and they kind of catch it the right way, they make a lot of balls look like strikes. And I don’t want to take away one of those challenges that might be needed later in the game.”

The 2024 National League Cy Young Award Winner ultimately accepts the game’s imperfect human element, even if umpires occasionally miss a call.

“My entire career has been balls called strikes and strikes called balls, and you just kind of deal with it,” Sale said. “Now, if my catcher has something to say about it, I’ll leave that to him. But I’ve dealt with both sides, and I’m fine to kind of keep dealing with it.”