Mets’ Marcus Semien Burns Worst ABS Challenge of the Season on a Pitch Down the Middle
The ABS challenge system in MLB has produced a steady stream of strange moments this season, but Marcus Semien just locked in the trophy for the worst challenge of the year.
The Mets infielder, in his first season in New York, decided to double down on a pitch that ended up sitting completely in the heart of the strike zone in Thursday’s win over the Washington Nationals. The system instantly confirmed the call. The pitch was not just a strike, it was deep into the zone.
Why it was extra painful
The situation was bad too. Mets had no outs, a runner in scoring position, and a 2-0 lead. That is not a moment where you burn a challenge on a borderline call, let alone a pitch this far inside the zone.
Semien struck out on the very next pitch. The Mets still managed to hold on for a 2-1 win, but the at-bat will live forever as a cautionary tale for everyone trying to use the new system to their advantage.
Semien is still a three-time All-Star
None of this changes what Semien has been across his career. Three All-Star nods, two top-three MVP finishes back in Toronto and Texas, and one of the most durable middle infielders of his generation. The Mets signed him in part because he plays every day and grinds every at-bat.
But that grind also means he runs out of patience at the plate quicker than guys who never see anything close. Semien argued for the challenge the moment the pitch hit the mitt, and the booth-side hot mic crowd loved it.
This is why baseball changed
The ABS challenge system was put in place to clean up the strike zone, give hitters and pitchers a tool to push back on a couple of bad calls per game, and add a layer of strategy to plate appearances. Most teams have figured out how to use it cleanly.
Other guys still treat their challenges like fantasy football trades. They jump on the first call they don’t like and then spend the rest of the game watching real borderline pitches go uncontested.
Semien is now Exhibit A. Use them wisely. Or use them like this and become a YouTube clip for the next two months.
Mets fans should not be too worried
The Mets are still winning. Semien is still hitting the ball hard. Acquiring him to anchor the middle of the infield was the right call for a team that had to upgrade its consistency at second base. A bad challenge against the Nationals is not going to define anyone’s season.
But it should be a lesson. The new system rewards patience and punishes panic. If you’re going to use your challenge, use it on a pitch you actually have a case against, not a fastball that crossed the plate at belt level.
The bigger picture for the league
MLB is going to use stories like this to evaluate how the ABS challenge system is functioning in real games. The data so far suggests hitters are slightly more accurate than pitchers when they use their challenges. Catchers are far more accurate than either. Semien is doing his part to keep the hitter-side accuracy down all by himself.
The system isn’t going anywhere. Players are going to keep learning how to play within it.
The bottom line
Marcus Semien is too good a player to make a habit of this. One bad challenge does not change his value to the Mets, and the team still won the game. But for the rest of the season, when an analyst talks about how not to use the ABS challenge, they’ll be cueing up this clip.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
