John Smoltz got this one wrong, and his own broadcast partner caught it before the inning was over.
In Game 3 of the World Series on Monday at Tropicana Field, Milwaukee leading Tampa Bay 2-0 in the bottom of the third, two outs, William Contreras tapped for a challenge on a low pitch the umpire had called a ball. Hawk-Eye flipped it to a strike. Smoltz didn't like it. "There's just no need for it," he said on the Fox call, noting "I know he's really good at it. They're up 2-0." Joe Davis pushed back with the obvious question: "But if he's that sure?" Smoltz doubled back to the scoreboard anyway: "Yeah, but even if he's that sure. You're up 2-0. And there's no stress."
That argument falls apart on contact. The whole design of the ABS challenge system is that a correct challenge costs you nothing. You get it back and keep it in your pocket for the next one. The only way to burn a challenge is to be wrong, so the right moment to use one on a pitch you're sure about is every single time you're sure about it, regardless of the score or whether a Hall of Fame pitcher feels enough tension in the building. Contreras was sure, and he was right. The system agreed with him on the spot.
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Then he did it three more times. Contreras went 4-for-4 on ABS challenges in Game 3, a perfect night on the one part of catching you can measure down to the pixel. Smoltz watched a catcher use a new rule exactly the way it's meant to be used and described it like a man who couldn't help himself.
The "no stress" line gives it away. It's a read of baseball where feel matters more than whether the pitch was actually a strike. A called third strike is worth the same in a two-run game as it is in a tie game: it's an out, and the pitcher who threw it earned it. Leaving that pitch on the table because the lead feels comfortable just hands the hitter a strike he shouldn't get back.
Leaning on challenges while already ahead can look like overkill, piling on when the result's basically in hand. But Game 3 wasn't in hand in the third inning at 2-0, and "it looks like a lot" isn't a reason to let a wrong call stand. Looking aggressive and playing it correctly are the same thing here, and Smoltz missed that.
Contreras has been doing this all year. He led the league with 105 correct challenges in the regular season on 185 attempts, far more volume than any other catcher, and his success rate climbed down the stretch. He didn't suddenly pick up the tap in October. He's the best in the sport at it, which is exactly why singling him out was backwards.
Smoltz apparently revisited the comment the next day and got the score wrong again, putting it at 10-0. Even his do-over couldn't get the details straight.
Contreras entered Game 4 hitting .538 with three RBIs in the series, a real MVP case to go with the glove. He spent Game 3 doing his job better than almost anyone ever has, and the reward was a lecture from the booth. The guy behind the plate understood the rule. The guy with the microphone didn't.
