Taiwan's CPBL Tests ABS Electronic Ball-Strike System; Catcher Makes History with Successful Challenge

The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) has officially begun testing its ABS electronic ball-strike system during a second-team game between the CTBC Brothers and Wei Chuan Dragons at Douliu Stadium. The league aims to implement the system in the first team league by 2025, provided it meets accuracy standards.

During the testing phase, each team is granted two challenge opportunities per game, mirroring Major League Baseball rules. However, the results of these challenges do not override the umpire's initial call, serving purely for data collection and system refinement.

Several players attempted challenges throughout the game. Wei Chuan Dragons pitcher Tseng Jen-Ho became the first player to challenge a call after a pitch was initially ruled a ball. Brothers pitcher Yu Chun-Yu also made a challenge. Both attempts were unsuccessful.

Brothers catcher Chen Chiu-Teng made history by successfully challenging a call during the third inning, becoming the first player in CPBL history to achieve this. Later, Brothers pitcher Cheng Kai-Wen also successfully challenged a call in the fifth inning, marking the first successful challenge by a pitcher.

Chen Chiu-Teng attempted a second challenge in the seventh inning but was unsuccessful. Wei Chuan Dragons pitcher Kuo Yu-Cheng's challenge in the eighth inning also failed. Overall, the Brothers had a 50% success rate in their challenges, while the Dragons had 0%, resulting in a 33% success rate for the system during this test game.