Austin Wells getting cooked for ridiculous ABS challenge during Yankees spring opener

The New York Yankees opened their spring training slate on Friday with a matchup against the Baltimore Orioles in Sarasota. They lost 2-0, registered just three hits, struck out 10 times, and allowed a homer to Pete Alonso. Oh yeah, and they lost two challenges using the new ABS system!

No, we're not actually freaking out about this result. It was the first game of 2026, the lineup was terrible, and we're sure Austin Wells was simply testing the limits of ABS. That said, social media caught wind of it and it wasn't pretty for the Yankees catcher.

Admittedly, his first losing challenge was downright terrible (he won a challenge before that, though). Jake Bird dropped in a nasty curveball, but everybody sitting on their couch knew it wasn't close to a strike. The umpire rightfully called it a ball, and it was upheld after Wells' challenge.

The replies to the Talkin' Yanks tweet of the video are savage, and, to no surprise, a Blue Jays fan utilized his/her time wisely after losing to another American team in another championship game (go Team USA hockey) to illustrate just how far off Wells was. Ya got us!

Yankees catcher Austin Wells loses two ABS challenges in spring training opener

The second one Wells lost also wasn't particularly close. This time, it was 2.1 inches above the zone, though it looked much closer in real time thanks to a really good frame-job. By the fifth inning, the Yankees issued three challenges. Because they lost two, they had none remaining, per MLB's rules for the upcoming season. You can challenge as many times as you'd like if you keep winning, but once you lose two it's over.

This will take some time getting used to for just about everybody, although minor leaguers over the last couple years may have an edge since the ABS system was introduced at the lower levels back in 2022. For all the seasoned big league vets, this'll be an adjustment period.

Better to get some of the bad ones out now rather than against a heated division rival or during a nationally televised game. Because as you can see, social media will not be kind if these challenges get upheld. If Wells is garnering this much critical attention on the first day of spring training games, we do not want to know what Sunday Night Baseball against the Boston Red Sox will look like.