Rays shortstop Taylor Walls was ejected during the ninth inning of Sunday’s 1-0 loss to the Astros for apparently tapping his helmet. The act was a nod to baseball’s incoming Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system, which is expected to be implemented in 2027.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls was ejected from the game on June 1, 2025 after an umpire saw him tap on his helmet in the ninth inning.

The Tampa Bay Rays offense didn't produce any highlights against the Houston Astros in a 1-0 loss Sunday afternoon at Minute Maid Park, but Rays shortstop Taylor Walls produced a clip that will be making the rounds on social media for quite a while.

Tampa Bay’s 17-6 record since May 20 is the best in baseball, and the Rays showed a lot of the reasons why Saturday.

A batter tapping their helmet was the signal for challenging a call when the Automated Ball-Strike System was used during spring training in Major League Baseball. The system is still in use in minor league games, but is not currently being used in regular season games in MLB. used.

Taylor Walls talks about his sacrifice bunt in the 4th inning, the confidence in himself on defense and more following the 8-4 win over the Mets

Tampa Bay Rays' Brandon Lowe, left, and Taylor Walls, right, react after Walls scored on a single hit by Josh Lowe during the third inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets Saturday, June 14, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith) AP