Stripers seal victory -- with a successful ABS challenge
Grant Holmes hooked the breaking ball into the corner of the strike zone. The umpire didn’t think so. Sandy León, Holmes’ catcher with Triple-A Gwinnett, had faith. León used an Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge, which showed the curveball touching the zone on the upper-outside edge. With a technological assist on
Grant Holmes hooked the breaking ball into the corner of the strike zone.
The umpire didn’t think so.
Sandy León, Holmes’ catcher with Triple-A Gwinnett, had faith.
León used an Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge, which showed the curveball touching the zone on the upper-outside edge. With a technological assist on getting the call right, the Braves-affiliated Stripers snuffed a ninth-inning rally to win it, 6-5, on Friday night.
In Triple-A and nine of the 10 Florida State League parks from Tuesday through Thursday, the home-plate umpire relays ball/strikes calls delivered from the ABS system via an earpiece. On Friday through Sunday, the umpire calls the pitches, but batters, pitchers and catchers can appeal the call. Each team is permitted three unsuccessful challenges per game.
On Friday night at Gwinnett’s Coolray Field, León’s challenge couldn’t have come with higher stakes – or better results – for the Stripers. The visiting Louisville Bats (Reds) had scored twice and put runners on the corners in the ninth, pulling within one run. On Holmes’ 1-2 offering to Michael Trautwein, the potential go-ahead run – Reds No. 16 prospect Rece Hinds – moved into scoring position on a stolen base as the ump called the pitch a ball.
That’s when León deployed the challenge and the ABS revealed the pitch was a strike. Correct call. Game over. The Stripers win.
Josh Jackson is an editor for MiLB.com. Follow and interact with him on Twitter @JoshJacksonMiLB.
Bisons return home June 24 with Irish Festival Night, Fireworks and $2 Hot Dogs
GET MY IRISH FESTIVAL NIGHT TICKETS The Bisons popular 'Festival Night' Series officially returns on Tuesday, June 24 as the Herd starts a nine-game homestand against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs with Irish Festival Night at Sahlen Field, presented by Connect Life and Dwyer's Irish Pub (6:35 p.m.)! Get ready for
June 29: Pickleball Paddle Giveaway as Bisons host IronPigs for "Funday Sunday"
GET MY BISONS TICKETS We're serving up a first on Sunday, June 29 as the Bisons host the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Sahlen Field. For the first time ever, we will have a Pickleball Paddle Giveaway, presented by our good friends at ROAR Logistics. GET MY TICKETS Do you want
Get 4 FREE Flex Tickets with Family Pack to July 3rd KeyBank Independence Eve
GEY MY KEYBANK INDEPENDENCE EVE TICKETS The great summertime ballpark tradition returns Thursday, July 3rd as the Bisons host the 29th Annual KeyBank Independence Eve Celebration with a postgame concert from the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and our Largest Fireworks Show of the season! And for a limited time, you can
Bisons handed 7-3 extra inning loss by Columbus on Sunday
Buffalo, N.Y. - On Sunday afternoon at Sahlen Field, the Buffalo Bisons and Columbus Clippers featured excellent pitching through nine innings in the final game of their first six-game series of 2025, but a seven-run 10th inning for the Clippers was enough to put the Bisons down 7-3. The game’s
SHOP: Bisons 2025 'Stars & Stripes' Caps now available
GET MY STARS & STRIPES CAPS An annual tradition surrounding the Bisons KeyBank Independence Eve Celebration game is the team wearing a specially designed 'Stars & Stripes' Caps during the game. This year's cap carries on that tradition with an exciting new design that would be a great addition to
Herd Chronicles: Scherzer solid in rehab start with the Bisons, but now is not the time to celebrate
Future Hall of Fame hurler Max Scherzer took the mound for the Bisons against the Columbus Clippers on Friday night. The three-time Cy Young Award winner and eight-time All-Star is working his way back from a right-thumb injury, last pitching in a big-league game on March 29, his Blue Jays
Bisons extend 'At-Par Pricing Discount' for Canadian Fans throughout 2025 season
GET AT-PAR PRICING DISCOUNT In appreciation for the great baseball fans of Southern Ontario that are part of ‘Our Herd,’ the Buffalo Bisons today announced that they have extended their ‘At-Par’ Pricing Discount for Canadian fans for the purchase of single-game tickets to any game for the entire 2025 season!