We can bucket the different things that have happened via the new ABS replay system in a myriad of ways.

For example, I can tell you that on 3-2 pitches there have been 25 strikeouts turned into walks and 36 walks turned into strikeouts because of overturned calls, and that 96 overturned ball calls in any two-strike count have resulted in strikeouts that ended of an inning.

But I want to focus on two events that have been bucketed only once so far. The funny thing is that they happened in the same game.

Strikeout —> Home Run

We’ve had only one instance of a strikeout that was taken off the board in which the surviving batter hit a home run.

That was done by Miguel Vargas of the White Sox against the Rays on April 16. An inside pitch was called strike three by home plate umpire Austin Jones. Vargas appealed and the replay showed the pitch was inside by 0.8 inches.

The reprieve was big for Vargas’ psyche. At the time, he was in an 0-for-19 slump and a second chance in an at-bat was of particular importance to him. He hit the next pitch over the left field fence, much to the chagrin of pitcher Steven Matz. Matz’s disgust could be seen moments after Vargas’ swing.

As Rays broadcaster Brian Anderson said in analyzing the moment, “You think you made the perfect pitch in, you freeze the hitter, the ball gets thrown around the horn … and then that.”

There weren’t lingering effects though. Vargas went 0-for-3 the rest of the game and went 3-for-13 in the next three games.

I suppose it shouldn’t be surprising that there haven’t been many overturned strikeouts resulting in home runs. It’s hard to hit a two-strike home run. Thus far this season they’ve happened in 1.5% of two-strike plate appearances.

As for else what happened later the game …

Bases Loaded Jam, Tie Game 9th Inning, Walk —> Strikeout

There have been three instances of a 3-2 pitch being overturned from a ball to a strike in a bases-loaded situation. In other words, a potential go-ahead walk became a strikeout.

But thus far there has been only one such instance in an extremely high-leverage moment, a tie game in the ninth inning or later.

And yes, it happened in the same Rays-White Sox game!

The White Sox and Rays were tied 3-3 in the ninth inning and Will Venable brought Lucas Sims into a bases loaded one-out jam. On a 3-2 pitch, Jones called a low pitch a ball, but White Sox catcher Edgar Quero tapped his helmet for a replay review. The broadcasters gave Quero a lot of credit, but it was really an instance of baseball common sense. If you’re not going to use the review on this pitch, when are you going to use it?

This replay review was high drama given that the lead hinged on it. And sure enough, the pitch was a strike by 0.12 inches (which, by the way, is within the margin of error for the ABS system). That kept the score tied and got the White Sox a second out.

Alas, Sims could not take advantage of the situation though. He walked the next two batters to lose the game, 5-3. Neither pitch was close enough for replay to help Sims out this time, and any momentum boost that Sims got from the strikeout was lost.