Everyone had a good laugh on Sunday during the Philadelphia Phillies' split-squad spring training game against the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark in Dunedin. Phillies shortstop Trea Turner challenged the first pitch of the game from Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer. Turner had a good laugh. Scherzer had a chuckle.
If you missed the story, last week, Scherzer let it be known he wasn't a fan of the Automatic Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system being tested by Major League Baseball during Grapefruit and Cactus League games this spring. Apparently, someone on the Phillies challenged Turner to challenge the first pitch of the game, no matter whether it was a ball or strike.
Turner did just that. On the first pitch of the game. A pitch that was an obvious strike and was called a strike by home plate umpire Brennan Miller.
Rob Thomson not amused by Trea Turner’s ABS troll job on Max Scherzer
It seemed everyone got some enjoyment out of Turner's cheeky troll job of the future Hall of Fame right-hander, that is, except for Phillies manager Rob Thomson. Maybe deep down, he thought Turner utilizing the challenge to rub Scherzer's anti-ABS comments was funny. But after the game, the skipper "wasn't keen" on the first-inning hijinks, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.
Earlier this spring, Thomson said he wasn't utilizing a team strategy for the ABS system. He instead told players battling for roster spots to use the challenge system as they needed to, perhaps the outcome of one at-bat might mean a difference between making the team or being shipped to Triple-A for a handful of players.
“The guys that are trying to impress the front office, first-time guys here, guys that are trying to make the ballclub, we’ve got a couple open spots …” Thomson said, per Zolecki.
While his manager was thinking about the players who aren't guaranteed spots on Opening Day, Turner, who will be the Phillies' everyday shortstop, was focused on goading his former teammate. The two were both with the Washington Nationals from 2015 to 2021.
“I don’t think he realized that I challenged it,” Turner said, per Zolecki. “And then we were just laughing. It was good. In the regular season, it would really piss him off. But now he's kind of faking his little act. But I knew. I just wanted to see his eyes roll. That's what I was going for.”
For a little more background, you have to go back to Scherzer's first start of the spring. The 40-year-old went 0-for-2 on challenges in his two innings during his Blue Jays debut. He was a little skeptical following that outing (subscription required), according to The Athletic's Jayson Stark.
“I’m a little skeptical on this,” Scherzer, said, per Stark. “I get what we’re trying to do here, but I think major-league umpires are really good. They’re really good. So what are we actually changing here? We know there are going to be strikes that are changed to balls, and balls that are changed to strikes.. So we’re going to basically be even. So are we actually going to improve the game? Are the umpires really that bad? I don’t think so.”
Overall, it seems that the initial reaction to the ABS system has been positive, from players (except Scherzer) and fans. Phillies veteran catcher J.T. Realmuto is an early fan after using the system twice in a recent game. In the end, Sunday's first-pitch challenge from Turner will go down as just another spring training guffaw between two veterans.