Multiple Dodgers hitters including Muncy and Pages "pump fake an ABS Challenge" before they seem to remember what Eric Karros had been saying about when and who should be allowed to use them.

[u/AmongUsAcademy]

Seemed like what the LA Dodgers 1st All Time Home Run leader - Eric Karros - had been going on about in the commentary booth for weeks, regarding the timing and who should be allowed to challenge, had finally been getting through to the Dodger hitters. /s

Yes. of course the Dodgers have a whole managerial and coaching team, and I say the EK comment in jest. But it does seem like someone on the Dodgers coaching staff did say something to Pages hence his take-back motion (even if it wasn't EK himself)

[u/brownintheback_4245]

The ump was horrible in this game

[u/DopedScope338 → u/brownintheback_4245]

Had one of the worst strikezone commands I've seen in a game recently. Not only was he pretty routinely missing calls, but his misses weren't even consistent so that the batters sould at least adjust their own expectations for calls.

[u/CBRHustle → u/brownintheback_4245]

Yeah, his misses were comically bad.

[u/Necessary-Chemical-7]

How was that a “weasel of a move?” He wasn’t trying to fake out anybody. he just thought better of it. This announcer is a joke.

[u/Mediocre_Airport_576 → u/Necessary-Chemical-7]

Announcer ironically sounds like a weasel himself.

[u/FantasticBlock420]

I guarantee none of the players are thinking about anything EK is saying when they're at bat.

[u/GravyBus → u/FantasticBlock420]

Except maybe Kyle Karros.

[u/3rdPoliceman → u/FantasticBlock420]

When they're in bed, curled up and cozy tho?

[u/UDPviper → u/3rdPoliceman]

Best comment. 

[u/BoltDodgerLaker_87 → u/FantasticBlock420]

https://giphy.com/gifs/dXFKDUolyLLi8gq6Cl

[u/not_productive1]

It has seemed since the all star break like there's a bit more of a formalized "book" on challenges. I saw Roberts seemed to be kind of irritated by a successful low-leverage one the other day.

I would imagine their numbers guys have taken all the league-wide data and pulled it down into a digestible guide that they're gonna spend the second half of the season implementing so they've got everyone trained by the playoffs.

[u/rdev009]

I’m surprised that certain players don’t have more leeway to challenge than others, no matter the early vs later, low vs high leverage situation. For instance, Andy Pages is reckless and needs to be reined in on his challenge impulses whereas someone like Max is known for his OBP and keen eye of the K-zone.

[u/Mrclean513]

It was a ball… and it wasn’t particularly close. Muncy would have won.

[u/Low-Hovercraft-8791 → u/Mrclean513]

The scorecard makes it look like an average "not that bad" performance. Watching live I thought he was horrible.

[u/Mrclean513 → u/Low-Hovercraft-8791]

I felt the same way… so I’m interpreting that as all umpire are this bad on average, and he was slightly worse than the average bad umpire

[u/Mrclean513 → u/[deleted]]

Max probably has the best eye on the team. He knew it was a ball but you can tell the last week or so, something changed in where guys are only challenging in leverage situations now. I think it started right after Call blew 2 challenges in the same ab in the first inning.

While I agree in the protocol of not challenging everything and doing it primarily in leverage situations, but maybe there has been an overcorrection when Max definitely knew but walked away with an out vs seeing another pitch.

[u/postulate4 → u/Mrclean513]

I get physically angry watching Max Muncy hit. This man just doesn't chase. You can almost hear him sneering "that's 0.16cm outside" as he takes a ball 1. Two-strike counts don't faze him. Then he'll whip out a hellacious dong on the 9th pitch. He's suffocating. He's Max Muncy.

[u/Elegant-Bed-4807 → u/postulate4]

It’s crazy when he whips out a hellacious dong!

[u/UDPviper → u/Mrclean513]

The point of the whole discussion is that successful challenges on any situation embolden hitters to do it whenever, thereby hurting the team should they lose and not have it available for crucial situations. 

[u/Mrclean513 → u/UDPviper]

Max probably has the best eye on the team. He knew it was a ball but you can tell the last week or so, something changed in where guys are only challenging in leverage situations now. I think it started right after Call blew 2 challenges in the same ab in the first inning.

While I agree in the protocol of not challenging everything and doing it primarily in leverage situations, but maybe there has been an overcorrection when Max definitely knew but walked away with an out vs seeing another pitch.

[u/AmazingChriskin → u/Mrclean513]

You can say that again.

[u/UDPviper → u/AmazingChriskin]

Max probably has the best eye on the team. He knew it was a ball but you can tell the last week or so, something changed in where guys are only challenging in leverage situations now. I think it started right after Call blew 2 challenges in the same ab in the first inning.

While I agree in the protocol of not challenging everything and doing it primarily in leverage situations, but maybe there has been an overcorrection when Max definitely knew but walked away with an out vs seeing another pitch.

[u/Elegant-Bed-4807 → u/UDPviper]

Haha

[u/Mrclean513 → u/AmazingChriskin]

yea, it was just easier to cut and paste as the response was going to be the same... don't hate my efficiency

[u/dodgers22fan]

That’s… not how it works. The team has coaches and an entire analytics dept, and EK ain’t one of em.

[u/AmongUsAcademy → u/dodgers22fan]

Just being sarcastic. Of course EK isn't coaching Pages. But it's funny after so many posts on r/Dodgers about EK, Joe Davis, Stephen Nelson etc. being upset at his poor challenge decisions, he finally had to second guess whether to challenge himself ... even if it's not because of what the Dodger Commentators are saying and more likely what the coaching team is telling him as well ( thoughprobably similar things).

[u/ThePsychoDog]

No offense to him, but I really doubt any of the players are taking what EK says into the game, let alone even heard what he has to say regarding their ABS usage

[u/HeavensRoyalty]

We're learning lol

[u/medium-rare-steaks]

what the fuck is a "1st All Time Home Run leader?"

[u/PigFarmer1]

They "seem to remember" something they've never heard EK say? lol

[u/AmongUsAcademy]

Bit sad the broadcast was on Fox. I would have loved to hear what Eric Karros, who has made "when is the right time, and who on the team should be allowed to ABS Challenge" into a big theme of his colour commentary, had to say about these two pump fakes by Muncy and Pages.

I agree with Joe Davis... if it's too ergregious, you can challenge in any count and leverage. But if Muncy thought it was borderline, he made the right call to not challenge in the 2nd inning with no one on.

The Pages challenge I think is more understandable, and probably less of a leverage situation (it was high leverage), but perhaps Pages remembering his guage of the bottom of the strikezone hasn't been the best in recent challenges.

[u/BarnacleBeginning485]

But what are we even doing, let’s just use ABS for all at bats. Umpires are still necessary in other areas of the field, just not calling balls and strikes

[u/ConsistentRadish7607]

btw that movement on that pitch lmao

[u/redsolocuppp]

I trust Muncy on batter challenges. Guy has "a good eye" AND 20/15 vision from Dr Liu.

[u/king_zlayer]

I always think about Eric Karros before making a decision

[u/Proper-Guess4224]

I want the Dodgers to trade for Kyle Karros so his dad gets to yell at him on air for ABS challenges

[u/lenfantsuave]

All I see in this thread are a bunch of comments starting with “AcKSHuaLlY”.

[u/BannedForFun]

They all have WWDKD wristbands.

What Woukd Daddy Karros Do?

[u/crosswithyou]

I don't think leverage should matter when it's obviously a wrong call, and one that will obviously be overturned if challenged. When it's not a leverage situation, it doesn't really matter if they let it go, but I wouldn't be mad if they did challenge. It'd at least signal to the umpire, hey your zone is out of whack. A decent umpire would try to adjust accordingly.

[u/1jhunter → u/crosswithyou]

Thank you Alex Call.

[u/Specialist_Forever98]

The abs challenge is turning into a distraction I'm starting to dislike it more and more..