If you are going to use the ABS challenge in 2026, at least pick a pitch on the corner. Marcus Semien did not do that.
The Mets infielder went viral Thursday during New York’s win over the Washington Nationals after launching the worst automated ball-strike challenge anyone has seen this season. The pitch was completely in the strike zone. Like, deep in the strike zone. Like, the kind of pitch you teach a Little Leaguer not to take.
It happened in the fourth inning at Nationals Park. Semien was batting with a runner on second and nobody out. Washington starter Cade Cavalli threw a 0-1 fastball that caught the heart of the plate for a called strike. Semien tapped his helmet to initiate the ABS challenge.
The system reviewed it in about two seconds. The graphic showed the pitch sitting comfortably inside the box, nowhere near a corner. Strike. Confirmed. Semien looked at the screen and probably wished the ball would have caught at least a part of the painted edge.
To make it worse, this was a terrible spot to burn a challenge in the first place. Each team only gets a handful per game, and you do not waste one with a runner in scoring position and the Mets already leading 2-0. There was nothing to gain from rolling the dice on a pitch that was already in the zone.
Semien then struck out on the very next pitch. So he traded one strike call he could not change for a strikeout he could not avoid. Baseball is a cruel sport sometimes.
The Mets won the game 2-1 anyway, which is the only saving grace here. They have been playing well overall, even if the series against Washington has produced some unhinged moments. On Tuesday, the Nationals scored a Little League grand slam on them, which is exactly the kind of play you only see when defenders forget they are professionals.
Semien is in his first year with the Mets after signing a big-money deal in the offseason. He is a three-time All-Star and a former AL MVP runner-up, but the 35-year-old has been searching for his rhythm at the plate so far this season. Decisions like the ABS challenge probably will not help his confidence.
The automated ball-strike system has been one of the most discussed rule changes in baseball this year. Most challenges are smart. Hitters and catchers have learned how to read pitches well enough to know when something is close. Semien’s challenge, on the other hand, will go down as the textbook example of what not to do.
The video is going to be used in every ABS explainer for the next month. Coaches will show it to players in clubhouses. Broadcasters will reference it in pre-game segments. Marcus Semien is now the face of bad challenge management, whether he wanted to be or not.
The good news is the Mets are still rolling. The bad news is Semien just bought himself a few weeks of jokes. That tap-tap on the helmet is going to haunt him.
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.
