Seattle Mariners at Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs secured a 7-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners at Sloan Park, with the game’s ABS narrative revolving around the high success rate of their challenges. The Cubs came into the afternoon with a perfect record on their appeals, overturning all three of their challenges. This dominance at the review booth contrasted with the Mariners’ mixed outcome—only one of two challenges was overturned—highlighting the Cubs’ sharper arbitration in key moments.

Five total challenges were made, four of which were overturned, underscoring the effective use of ABS to correct calls that impacted plate discipline and pitch counts. Notably, all three of Chicago’s successful challenges occurred in pivotal spots: in the bottom of the first, bottom of the eighth, and crucially, the bottom of the ninth inning. Each overturn adjusted counts in favor of the hitter, suggesting a tightening of the strike zone that helped mitigate potential pitch-outs or strikeouts.

Seattle's single overturned challenge came earlier in the game, with their second attempt falling short, showing a less consistent but still partially effective use of ABS. The plate umpire saw four out of five calls overturned, pointing toward a challenging environment behind the plate where ABS played a corrective role rather than consistently confirming calls.