Overview
- Cardinals manager Oli Marmol was thrown out during the eighth inning after he argued that Twins batter Austin Martin waited too long to tap for an ABS review in the game on Saturday.
- Umpire Adam Beck granted Martin’s challenge after what appeared to be a delayed helmet tap, the original strike call was overturned to a one-out walk, and the sequence triggered Marmol’s heated walkout from the dugout.
- The league’s ABS rule requires a batter, pitcher or catcher to decide to signal within two seconds but does not define exactly when those two seconds begin, placing the timing judgment with the home-plate umpire.
- Marmol told reporters he had previously protested the timing earlier in the game and that the key issue was the lapse between the tap and when the umpire accepted the challenge.
- The Cardinals held on for a 9-6 win, and analysts say this episode is an early sign that ABS’s discretionary timing could produce more on-field disputes in close games or playoff situations.