PHOENIX (AP) — Major League Baseball’s new Automated Ball/Strike system gives players the ability to contest pitch calls they believe were wrong — but only if they actually use it.
The Arizona Diamondbacks and three-time All-Star Ketel Marte found out the hard way Friday night. Marte stood at the plate as umpire Bill Miller called strike three to end the game, a 5-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, without ever triggering a challenge. Television replay footage showed that the 100 mph sinker thrown by Riley O’Brien appeared to be high and outside the strike zone.
At the time, Arizona still had both of its ABS challenges unused.
Marte explained afterward that he was caught off guard by the pitch selection. “I was looking for a breaking ball,” he said through an interpreter. “Got the two-seamer and I was a little bit surprised.”
D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said he had not yet spoken with Marte about the missed challenge and planned to address it with him on Saturday. Beyond the failure to challenge, it was a rough overall night for the veteran second baseman, who also committed an error in the first inning that opened the door for two unearned runs to score.
Lovullo offered his take on why Marte didn’t pull the trigger on a challenge. “Clearly — I don’t want to speak for Ketel — you guys will have a chance to talk to him, but he thought it was a strike,” Lovullo said. “Sometimes you’ve got to trust your own instincts. Possibly thought it was a good pitch, checked off of it and lost the ability to challenge as soon as he stepped across home plate.”
The team’s troubles weren’t limited to Marte’s at-bat. Another painful moment came in the ninth inning when pinch runner Jorge Barrosa was picked off after Nolan Arenado drew a leadoff walk, further derailing Arizona’s comeback hopes.
Despite the frustrating defeat, Lovullo declined to place the blame squarely on Marte’s shoulders, saying the entire team needs to improve. “We’re not perfect, it’s frustrating of course, but there are 15 other things that happened in this game that are still eating at me right now and we’ll address them one by one,” the manager said.
