MLB’s new ABS system has cut down on controversial umpire calls this season, but Wednesday’s Yankees-Orioles game proved there’s still plenty of room for debate.
Pete Alonso thought he’d given Baltimore the lead with a seventh-inning blast that soared high over the left-field foul pole at Camden Yards. The umpires disagreed, and after a lengthy review, the would-be go-ahead homer stayed a foul ball in New York’s eventual 5-3 win.
The call left Orioles players fuming and sparked fresh questions about MLB’s replay technology.
The Controversial Call
Alonso jumped on a first-pitch offering from Yankees reliever Brent Headrick in the seventh, already having homered earlier in the game. He launched the ball high and deep into left field – the kind of shot where you immediately know it’s going to be close to the foul pole.
That’s where things got tricky. Because Alonso’s drive went above the foul pole rather than beside it, determining fair or foul became nearly impossible with the naked eye.
What would have been the go-ahead home run from Pete Alonso was upheld as a foul ball after review pic.twitter.com/Induc0V7qO
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 20, 2026
The initial call was foul ball, leaving Alonso standing near first base looking dejected. After Orioles manager Craig Albernaz requested a crew chief review, the umpires huddled to examine the replay.
The verdict from New York’s replay center? The call stands – still a foul ball.
Show the video angle of the Orioles broadcast, it’s a lot more debatable than the Amazon/YES viewpoints pic.twitter.com/EOyxKA1ja7
— Glennjamin (@The_Glennjamin) August 20, 2026
Different camera angles told different stories. The down-the-line shot seemed to suggest the ball might have snuck inside the pole, while other angles provided less clarity. Camden Yards fans booed the decision.
The Official Explanation
MLB’s replay center later released a statement explaining their reasoning: “After viewing all relevant angles, the Replay Official could not definitively determine that the ball left the playing field in fair territory. The call stands, and it is a foul ball.”
In other words, without conclusive evidence to overturn the original call, the foul ball ruling stood.
Players Sound Off on Technology Gap
The controversy exposed what several Orioles see as a glaring technology gap in 2026 baseball.
Pitcher Chris Bassitt didn’t hold back in his postgame comments, calling out MLB’s approach to fair-foul technology.
“Obviously, I think it was fair. But after the call, it’s just crazy we still have this issue. We might be the only major sport with an issue like this. It’s been years that we have technology they can easily use to say, ‘This is exactly the right thing or wrong thing.’ The fact we don’t have it in 2026 is crazy.”
Bassitt, a former member of the MLB Players’ Association executive council, believes the solution is simple – but expensive.
“It costs money. That’s it. That’s literally it,” he said, per USA Today. “You ask a fan of the game who’s a true fan of the game, they’d want those cameras. You’d ask every player. Every coach.”
Alonso offered his own solution, pointing to the Hawk-Eye technology already installed for the ABS system.
“We have Hawk-Eye. I think a simple fix, you have football, you have the pylon camera with the goal line plane, it shoots right across the goal line. I feel like we could easily have a laser, or a camera that shoots straight up,” Alonso explained.
But there’s a catch. Alonso says he’s “been told the main reason it doesn’t exist is because all 30 major league ballparks have different dimensions from the plate to the outfield fences.”
The Other Side
Not everyone thought Alonso got robbed. Yankees pitcher Headrick and manager Aaron Boone believed the call was correct.
“I’m a pitcher, right? So from my vantage point, I thought it was foul,” Headrick said. “But I think it could’ve went either way. It went in my favor.”
How The System Actually Works
MLB currently relies on high-definition instant replay cameras positioned around each stadium for home run calls. In New York, video coordinators and replay umpires review multiple camera feeds in real time during reviews.
The Hawk-Eye technology that’s revolutionized ball-strike calls through the ABS system? It’s not programmed to handle fair-foul determinations on home runs.
That leaves MLB in an awkward spot. They’ve solved one of baseball’s oldest problems – inconsistent strike zones – but they’re still wrestling with calls like Alonso’s that split fans and players down the middle.
As Bassitt put it, “You’ll ask the general public and get a 50-50 answer” on whether the ball was fair or foul. In 2026, with all the technology at baseball’s disposal, that might be the most frustrating part of all.
