Major League Baseball experimented with an automated ball-strike system (ABS) this spring training that allowed batters to challenge balls and strikes from the plate and, while the results were promising, they decided not to carry it into the regular season.
On Thursday afternoon, however, it looked like Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras forgot the rule no longer existed.
During Milwaukee's opening day matchup against the Yankees in New York, he was rung up on a slider from pitcher Carlos Rodon. After the call was confirmed by the first base umpire, Contreras attempted to challenge it by tapping the side of his helmet—only to quickly realize his mistake, resulting in this hilarious moment:
Contreras wanting to challenge the swing call. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/84YiIrUf9I
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 27, 2025
Maybe next year.
Milwaukee enters 2025 coming off of a first-place finish (93-69) in the NL Central and a season where their manager, Pat Murphy, won NL Manager of the Year.
More MLB on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as William Contreras Forgot He Can't Challenge Strikes Anymore in Opening Day Bout vs. Yankees.
