A misunderstanding benefited the Pittsburgh Pirates early in Sunday’s game against the Chicago Cubs.

In his second batter of the game, Bubba Chandler threw a pitch to Cubs designated hitter Moises Ballesteros that appeared to narrowly miss the corner low and inside. A called ball moved the count to 1-1, but play paused for an ABS review.

The ABS challenge overruled home plate umpire Alan Porter, determining that Chandler’s pitch just nicked the plate. As a result, the Pirates won a challenge they didn’t even make.

Chandler adjusted the back of his cap after the pitch, which Porter misconstrued as the 23-year-old tapping his head to signal a challenge. He appeared to try to explain the situation when walking off the mound at the end of the inning.

SportsNet Pittsburgh shared the bizarre sequence on social media:

Well… this is a new one! 🫨

Bubba accidentally challenged a pitch by adjusting his cap, but he ended up winning it 🤣 🧢 pic.twitter.com/xM3mTUyqvO

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) April 12, 2026

 

The mixup gave Chandler a 0-2 count, and he struck out Ballesteros with a 100-mph fastball on the next pitch. Pittsburgh then staked the right-hander to a 5-0 lead when Brandon Lowe hit a grand slam off former Pirates starter Jameson Taillon in the second inning.

Everyone can laugh at the situation since the Pirates won the challenge, but it wouldn’t have been so funny to Chandler and Co. if the call had been upheld. Each team starts a game with two challenges, so it makes little sense to challenge a borderline call in the middle of a first-inning plate appearance.

For MLB’s sake, let’s hope the same predicament doesn’t occur in a more consequential way. The Pirates still shouldn’t be too bothered by the incident, as they’re up 6-3 with a chance to complete a road sweep over a National League Central opponent.

More MLB: Konnor Griffin Shares Pirates’ Humorous Approach To Challenge System