GOODYEAR, Ariz. — It’s the ninth inning, and the Cincinnati Reds are trying to close out the game. The pitch from the Reds is called a ball. While the strike zone box on your screen says it should be a strike, the Reds’ catcher doesn’t challenge it. The next pitch results in a game-winning homer for the opponent.
What do you do? How much do you blame the player for not maximizing the challenge rule that was just put in place? How does the manager address that moment with the player after the game?
Since the challenge system was used in Triple-A last year, Terry Francona has been discussing strategies with Reds’ Triple-A manager Pat Kelly. The minor league catchers also have good insight.
“You can say that about any situation,” minor league catcher PJ Higgins said. “You should have thrown this pitch. You should have swung at this pitch. It’s a new aspect of the game. People will say you should have or shouldn’t have. It’s part of the game now. It’s no different than questioning what the manager does or why you didn’t send a guy at first base. It’s just another way of questioning what players and coaches do.”
It’s the second inning, and the situation is very low-leverage. A frustrated Reds hitter sees a borderline pitch called a strike, challenges it and isn’t correct. As a result, the Reds waste one of their two challenges for the game.
What do you do? How much do you blame the player for taking advantage of the challenge rule that was just put in place? How does the manager address that moment with the player after the game?
“That all gets cleaned up at the beginning of the season,” Reds minor league catcher Will Banfield said. “We figure out when good times are for us and when we can let it go a bit, not use it and play the games. When we have one of our big hitters up at the plate, we don’t want to be out of challenges. In the big leagues, we want Geno (Eugenio Suárez) to be able to have a challenge if we’re down a run. If something happens to him, he can use it.”
Since we all watch football, we’re all used to watching a big play and immediately saying, “Challenge it.” We’re all also used to the emotion of seeing a play get challenged and feeling like it was wasted.
But what if Ja’Marr Chase was the one who had to decide in a split-second if it was a catch or not? What if Chase had to throw his own flag? What if Trey Hendrickson — who always feels like he’s getting held — was able to protest and challenge holding calls in real time by throwing a flag himself?
You get where I’m going with this. Challenges can be emotional.
MLB players this year will need to show a lot of discipline.
“Emotions get involved,” Pat Kelly said. “They learn. I think it’s hardest on pitchers. They think everything is a strike. The way catchers are these days (with framing), by a time the pitcher really gets done with his delivery and focuses, the catcher makes it look like a strike. You really have to emphasize it to your pitchers to trust the catchers and let them do the job.”
Kelly emphasized from the jump last year that the team only had two challenges.
“Let’s make sure it’s a high-leverage situation and try to at least have one late in the ball game if possible,” Kelly said.
The nuts and bolts of the Automated-Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge rule: Each team will start the game with two challenges. A team only loses its challenge if the umpire’s call is confirmed. The batter, the pitcher or the catcher — not the manager — can challenge an umpire’s call. Challenges must be made immediately after the umpire’s call, and the signal is tapping your head.
While some teams may allow pitchers to challenge calls, the Reds’ internal rule will not allow that. Still, in the heat of the moment, you could see a pitcher emotionally tap his head out of frustration about a call. That counts!
“If you throw a good pitch and you square the catcher up and it’s off the plate, you want that pitch,” Banfield said. “You challenge it. You (have to) take that part out of it. Leave that up to the catcher and know situations you can use it.”
Since the system has been used in spring training in 2025 as well as in different minor league levels, everyone on the Reds is pretty familiar with the logistics of how it works. The big question is the politics of it.
Take Juan Soto, for example. Does he have the “green light” to challenge whatever he wants? Does Mike Trout have the green light? Shohei Ohtani? What if, for example, Soto takes what’s viewed as a self-oriented challenge in a low leverage situation? How does that get addressed and ironed out in the clubhouse? Who leads those conversations — the manager or the leader of the team?
Everyone says to save challenges for high-leverage situations, but how do you know in real time which pitch could decide the game?
“It’s not a personal (challenge) when you really need a hit,” Terry Francona said. “It’s got to be team oriented. If you tell a player to only do it when it’s important, when is that? When isn’t it (important)? We’ll try to get a strategy, but it might take a bit. We might have to grow into it a bit. This is new for everybody.”
The Reds will be working on their strategy a lot during spring training.
“I don’t care if someone messes up in spring,” Francona said. “But we’ll try to maybe say, ‘This is what we’re shooting for.’ We can say, that probably wasn’t the ideal time.”
A big piece of the process is learning the ABS zone. You effectively have to memorize the zone that applies toward the challenge system (17 inches wide. The top end of the zone is at 53.5% of the player’s height, while the bottom is at 27% of the player’s height. The depth of the zone is 8.5 inches from both the front and back of the plate to its center).
During live batting practice sessions on the backfields in Goodyear, hitters and catchers are checking in after just about every pitch to see or confirm what the ABS ruling would say.
“It’s going to change games at times,” Higgins said. “Last year, if the Padres would have had a challenge in their last at-bat versus the Cubs in the playoffs, the inning would still be going. There are situations earlier in the game that can change the game. It’s definitely something that keeps everybody honest. Guys think they know the zone very well. It’ll show on the screen if they do or don’t. It holds everyone accountable.”
Kelly said that Higgins graded out very well — around 88% — on his challenges.
A catcher’s ability to win challenges is now going to be a very important part of his skill set, just like his framing and pop time are.
“It’s a learning process,” Kelly said. “Because most of the guys have played under it in A-ball or Triple-A, they have experience. Tito has been asking a lot of questions trying to figure out strategy and everything.”
Higgins said that he expects a lot of moments this year where the ump makes the call and fans yell out “Challenge it!” The entire process is entertaining to watch. It’s a lot like the review system in tennis. Crowds will erupt when calls go in the favor of the home team. Imagine the reaction when in a 3-2 count in the top of the ninth, a ball gets overturned to a strike and the home team wins it on a replay review.
“It adds another element in the game to get excited about,” Banfield said.
In the NFL, teams have models that give them real-time data when they should or shouldn’t challenge a call. In MLB, teams shouldn’t be able to do that because they can’t look to the bench for guidance (unless, before the pitch, does the third base coach give the batter a signal that they have the green light to challenge if needed in a specific situation?).
Figuring out when to challenge is complicated. Sometimes, the difference in the game can be whether you can get your starting pitcher through the sixth inning to save your bullpen. Sometimes, it’s with two runners on in the first inning. Sometimes, it’s working a pitcher’s pitch count up in the third inning to get them to run out of gas.
The Triple-A Bats developed some guidelines that they lived by last year.
“Unless it’s really egregious early in the game, just save it for a high-leverage situation,” Kelly said. “It can be the first inning if the bases are loaded or something.”
Kelly: “Those borderline pitches, you can’t challenge everything.”
Higgins: “You want to save them for the end of the game. We tried to. There were emotional challenges. There were times they were right and wrong. When they got them wrong, we weren’t happy about it. When they were right, you let it slide this time.”
Banfield: “Not 0-0 counts. 1-0 counts won’t kill us. Save it if you’re not 100% sure about it. The final innings. Close games. With the starter in the in sixth or seventh inning. If there is a close one, challenge it so you can get him through that hitter so he can finish that inning and we can start a clean inning with a reliever. Turn a K into a 3-2 count. Bases loaded.”
In the ninth inning, remember that you can’t take the challenges home with you. Just like a basketball coach uses his timeouts, it’s use it or lose it.
“I try to emphasize that,” Kelly said “If you’re down to the last guy, you might as well take a shot.”
Banfield said, “We don’t want to leave challenges on the table. It’ll happen where a pitch was actually a strike, they called it a ball and the next pitch the guy hits a double. It’s inevitable in the game. At the end of the day, we trust ourselves, the staff and the work we put in to make the right decision. But that’s going to happen at some point.”
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