Athletics manager Mark Kotsay reached his breaking point with the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system on Friday night. He was very upset with home plate umpire Dan Merzel for missing easy strike calls early in the game. This anger led to a big fight, and Kotsay got thrown out of the game against the Los Angeles Angels.

“Don’t F**king yell at me… That is f***ing ridiculous… All I said was it was down,” said the Athletics manager.

Field microphones picked up every word. Everyone in the stadium heard him, and the angry video quickly went viral online. The Athletics won the game 12-11 in a great comeback. Still, Kotsay getting kicked out in the second inning stole the show.

The disagreement started after a 1-1 pitch to Carlos Cortes was called a strike despite appearing below the zone. But Kotsay was already mad. In just the first inning, he counted four low pitches that Merzel wrongly called strikes. Kotsay felt the umpire was doing a bad job from the start. The call against Cortes was just the final straw.

The exchange quickly became one of the most talked-about moments of the weekend because every word could be heard.

His biggest criticism centered around the ABS challenge system that is now being used across MLB. Teams receive only two challenges, and managers are often reluctant to use them during the opening innings. Kotsay says that when the umpires miss such obvious calls over the plate, the team shouldn’t be pressured to use their challenge.

This was Kotsay’s first time getting thrown out since September 27, 2025. Managers are still learning the best time to use a challenge. Kotsay felt he should not have to waste one in the second inning just because the umpire could not see low pitches.

This reminded many fans of the Mets against the Reds, where the Mets blew all their challenges in the first 2 innings. Things got worse for the Mets later in the game when the ump missed a call, and Carlos Mendoza got ejected for arguing the call. But the ejection was not the worst thing that happened to Kotsay.

Due to Sacramento’s unique ballpark setup, unlike most MLB stadiums, the Athletics clubhouse is located beyond the left field wall. So, the manager had to walk all the way across the field before even seeing the clubhouse door. Many even called this the “Walk of Shame.”

Both situations highlighted how clubs are still adjusting to strategy decisions in the ABS era.

Despite the frustration, the Athletics players ended the night happy. Down 11-4, the team fought all the way back. Jonah Heim tied the game with a big home run. Then, they walked to score the winning run in the 10th inning for a 12-11 win.

While the team celebrated, Kotsay’s fight raised a big question. Are umpires being treated unfairly because of the new technology?

No one should feel sorry for the umpires about the ABS

The ABS challenge system was introduced to help correct missed ball and strike calls, but it has also created frustration among some umpires. According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, several umpires believe fans are now judging every pitch more harshly than before.

Through June 20, teams had challenged more than 4,100 pitches, with over 2,200 calls overturned after an ABS challenge. Those numbers have left some umpires feeling that every missed call is now under a microscope. According to a recent report from The Athletic, several umpires believe fans are holding them to standards that are difficult to meet consistently over a full season.

That frustration has not been limited to active umpires. Before the season started, retired umpires Richie Garcia and Ted Barrett questioned the growing role of technology in calling games.

But many fans do not feel bad for them. The ABS system was approved by MLB, the players, the owners, and the umpires’ union. MLB recently said umpires get the call right 93.5% of the time. But critics point out a bigger issue. More than half of all challenged calls this season have been proven wrong. This shows that umpires still miss important pitches in big moments.

The debate has now shifted beyond challenges and toward the possibility of a fully automated zone.

Supporters say if human umpires think the job is too hard, computers should take over. South Korea’s baseball league already uses a fully automatic strike zone. This shows the technology works well in pro baseball.

For now, though, the biggest issue may be communication, because most of the active umpires rarely explain their concerns, leaving fans to piece together the story through anonymous reports and comments from retired officials.