Thick fog at Wrigley Field disrupts ABS review as Cardinals beat Cubs, 3-0

The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals played a Fourth of July game at Wrigley Field that quickly turned into a test of how baseball’s technology holds up when the weather does not cooperate. After an earlier rain-related start delay, thick fog rolled into the ballpark and made it difficult for players to track the ball, including views from the broadcast and Hawk-Eye camera setups. In the sixth inning, the game was paused as conditions became unplayable, and the delay lasted roughly 15 minutes.

While umpires and players worked through the restart, the fog also affected MLB’s automatic balls and strikes review process. The article reported that when the Cardinals attempted to challenge a call involving Cubs outfielder Ian Happ, the umpire announced the call would stand because the ABS system was not operational at the moment. The broadcast technology could not deliver clarity, and the league’s pitch-tracking operation was likewise limited, with Gameday unable to provide a velocity measurement for pitches shortly before and after the pause.

At least one Cardinals player made the visibility issue clear in plain language. Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt was reported telling umpires, “We can’t see the ball,” as crews and officials tried to decide how to proceed. After the game, Wetherholt’s comments were characterized in the report as a shift from initial acceptance to concern, describing just how hard it was to see the baseball under the fog.

Despite the interruption, the Cardinals carried the game forward and ultimately won 3-0. The club struck early and set the tone with a leadoff homer from Wetherholt. Later in the game, St. Louis added runs through RBI hits credited to Iván Herrera and Alex Burleson.

For the Cubs, the most frustrating part was that even when the game continued, key moments were shaped by the same underlying problem. The report noted that ABS-related decisions could not be completed during the fog window, meaning certain disputes could not be pushed through the usual technological checks. That matters in baseball games where a single call can change at-bats, base runners, and the timing of rallies.

The unusual nature of the delay also reinforced a simple reality at ballparks that rely on both human sight and systems designed to supplement it. When the ball is not visible, the traditional objective becomes harder for everyone, from hitters and fielders to umpires trying to make consistent judgments and to the tracking systems tasked with verifying pitch information.

Looking ahead, the Cardinals will likely be more focused on turning the home-plate visibility issue into a quick memory and carrying forward the offensive burst that created separation. For the Cubs, the game is a reminder that not every challenge scenario is equal, especially when ABS and related pitch tracking cannot function as intended.

The next time Wrigley Field faces similar conditions, the league’s operational playbook for ABS challenges may be tested again. What will be watched is whether the system’s limitations during poor visibility lead to more conservative on-field review decisions, and how quickly officials determine when conditions are safe enough for both play and technology-assisted verification.