Orioles' game-ending ABS challenge was the most anti-climactic result imaginable

With the ABS challenge system being installed this season, a lot of contingencies had to be considered. What happens if there is a glitch? How will umpires react towards players who challenge their calls? What should we do if the challenge system makes games drag on for too long? Those are still questions MLB is working on answering, but there was no denying that ABS was also an opportunity for some truly dramatic moments, and the Baltimore Orioles were responsible for one such moment.

One thing that ABS has done is create cinema from really close pitches that are challenged in big spots. Prolonging the result of those key pitches just a little bit creates the kind of drama that baseball has needed on a per-pitch basis. We have already seen ABS challenges that have changed the course of games, and we will see many, many more.

Now, thanks to Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo, we have our first ABS challenge that literally ended the game.

Orioles get first "walk-off challenge" in history after Samuel Basallo corrects obvious missed call

In years past, this pitch call by home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez would be a hot topic and have Orioles fans cursing his name. While this game wasn't particularly close, it is these sorts of calls that helped ABS get implemented in the first place. There is absolutely a world where the Rangers could have made things interesting had that ball call stood.

Instead, Basallo did his job and correctly identified the pitch as a clear strike. It was immediately clear when the challenge graphic came up that the pitch from Albert Suarez was a strike. Just like that, the game was over, and Baltimore had secured a relatively cozy win.

For a "walk-off" moment, this one certainly was lacking. The Orioles were already up by five runs, and the result of the challenge was painfully obvious. Still, it is nice to know that these sorts of calls are going to become rarer and rarer the longer ABS is around. Now, we need a situation where it is a one-run game with runners on in the ninth, and an ABS challenge could swing the game in either direction. It hasn't happened yet, but it is definitely coming.