Cal Raleigh Is About to Run the Show: How the Mariners Plan to Win the ABS Challenge Game
Here's the deal: when the Mariners take the field at T-Mobile Park on Thursday to open the 2026 season against Cleveland, there's going to be a robot umpire calling balls and strikes. And the team has already figured out exactly who they're trusting to use it. Cal Raleigh. That's it. That's the strategy.
During spring training, pitcher George Kirby was basically the only guy on the staff throwing down challenges. He won one, lost another, and his teammates rewarded him with a playful award for "the worst" challenge of camp. His takeaway? "I'm probably gonna let Cal challenge. He knows the zone better than anybody." Even Kirby gets it. When your star catcher knows the strike zone better than you do after throwing the pitch, you hand him the keys.
Spring Training Numbers Don't Lie
Here's where it gets interesting. Last year during MLB's first testing of the automated ball-strike (ABS) system, Raleigh absolutely crushed it. He won his first nine challenges straight. This spring wasn't quite as perfect, he went 1 for 4 on his challenges, but Raleigh wasn't sweating it. His whole approach was different: experiment, learn the zone, figure out the nuances before the games actually count.
The Mariners catchers as a whole had a spring success rate of 68% on 37 total challenges, which ranked among league leaders. Backup catcher Mitch Garver went 4 for 5. Compare that to the MLB average of 60%, and you've got a team that knows how to work the system. Meanwhile, Mariners hitters challenged 24 strike calls and won 13 of them, a 54% success rate that crushed the league-wide 46% mark.
Playing It Smart When It Counts
The Mariners didn't just stumble into these numbers. The team held multiple meetings throughout spring on strategy, and Raleigh's philosophy sums it up perfectly: be smart, put the team first, pick your spots. Don't waste a challenge in the first two innings unless someone really blew the call. Save them for high leverage moments. That's playoff mentality thinking right from opening day.
Each team starts with two challenges per game, and you keep them if you win. Pitchers and catchers are the only ones who can trigger them. Extra innings? You get one fresh challenge to start. Raleigh knows the strike zone is 17 inches wide (same as home plate), peaks at 53.5% of a player's measured height, and bottoms out at 27%.
Thursday's opener marks the beginning of the real test. If Raleigh and the Mariners can replicate their spring success when actual wins and losses are on the line, they've just given themselves a legit edge. That's the kind of small advantage that wins divisions.
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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.