PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - FEBRUARY 19: Nickeil Alexander-Walker #7 of the Atlanta Hawks defends the play during the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on February 19, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Hawks (27-30) kick of a (frankly very winnable) five-game homestand against the Miami Heat (29-27).
Starting lineup:
PG Dyson Daniels
SG Nickeil Alexander-Walker
SF Zaccharie Risacher
PF Jalen Johnson
C Onyeka Okongwu
Please join in the comments below as you follow along.
Where, When, and How to Watch and Listen
Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
Start Time: 7:30 PM EDT
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Southeast (FDSNSE)
Radio: Sports Radio 92.9 the Game (WZGC-FM)
Streaming: FanDuel Sports Network app, Fubo (out of market), NBA League Pass (out of market), Youtube TV (NBA League Pass out of market)
So that’s good. That came after Austin Hays homered off Jameson Taillon in the top of the first. Taillon also served up another homer, a two-run job, in the second. I’m not concerned about that sort of thing this early; often, pitchers work on various things in spring outings and sometimes throw nothing but fastballs.
Of a bit of concern: Porter Hodge looked awful in facing six batters in the fourth inning. He walked four of them and allowed a two-run double to new Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami. It might have been more runs, but Grant Kipp induced an inning-ending double play.
Hopefully this was just Hodge “working on something” because he wasn’t anywhere near the strike zone most of the time, throwing only eight strikes in 25 pitches.
Gavin Hollowell, who also might be in the bullpen mix because he has options, struck out all three batters he faced in the sixth. Two of them (Hays and Murakami) are MLB hitters and the third is top Sox prospect Braden Montgomery. So Hollowell might be someone to watch going forward.
There were three ABS challenges in the game. If you didn’t see it, here are all of them.
These calls were all made seamlessly, quickly by the players, announced at the park by the plate umpire and all completed within just a few seconds. This is exactly how the ABS challenge system is supposed to work and once it’s in place for regular-season games you probably won’t even notice. I would imagine there will be more challenges in Spring Training games than you’ll see in the regular season so that players get used to doing it.
It was a gorgeous, though a bit coolish (60 degrees at game time) afternoon in Sloan Park, with the berm getting a bit crowded as folks from seats in the shade came to get some sunshine. Announced attendance was 14,419, about 1,000 short of a sellout. It’s still very early, many people aren’t on spring break or taking vacations yet, and I’d expect the crowds to get larger as the spring goes by.
Matthew Boyd will start Saturday afternoon at Sloan Park against the Rangers. Kumar Rocker will take the mound for Texas. Game time is again 2:05 p.m. CT. TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network and there will also be radio broadcasts via The Score as well as the Rangers radio network.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - DECEMBER 23: Kyle Filipowski #22 of the Utah Jazz shoots a free throw during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on December 23, 2025 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies will have a tank-off their first game post all-star break and it will be mostly a competition of young guys in this one.
The flattened odds that Adam Silver set up are to blame for this game and situation. The Grizzlies would likely not care about losing games if it didn’t have real value to them to fall. Now the Jazz, who have a much worse record, have to tank hard to just lose this game for lottery positioning. And if you don’t think the positioning matters, it definitely does. The Mavericks are one game back of the Jazz in the lottery standings so every win or loss matters.
The injury reports reflect the importance of the tank-off game tonight.
This means that the Jazz will be having a likely big game from Isaiah Collier and Kyle Filipowski. We’ll see how tonight goes and who can come away with tanking glory. Utah NEEDS to lose these types of games because that pick protection is looming large. Utah also has a chance to jump closer to the top of the lottery the better they do with these games.
PHOENIX –– When it comes to the new ball-strike challenge system being implemented in Major League Baseball this year, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts doesn’t yet have any hard-and-fast rules for his players.
But on Friday, he offered a few general guidelines.
“I think right now, I feel comfortable with the catchers doing the challenges versus the pitchers,” Roberts said on the eve of the Dodgers’ Cactus League opener –– in which they will get to test the new automated ball-strike system (ABS for short) for the first time.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts doesn’t yet have any hard-and-fast rules for the new ball-strike challenge system. Jason Szenes for CA Post“I think right now, I feel comfortable with the catchers doing the challenges versus the pitchers,” Roberts said on the eve of the Dodgers’ Cactus League opener MLB Photos via Getty Images
And what if a pitcher decides to challenge a call?
“He’d better be right,” Roberts said, laughing.
Such is the new dynamic players will face with the advent of ABS. Starting this year, the automated reviews will give each team the opportunity to challenge at least two ball-strike calls per game. And unlike normal manager challenges on all other types of play, an ABS review can only be initiated by a hitter, catcher or pitcher –– who may do so by tapping their head within two seconds of each pitch.
Once a team loses two challenges, its players won’t be able to dispute any further calls in a game (unless there are extra innings, in which case teams will be awarded another challenge opportunity).
“I think it’s good that we’re practicing it in spring,” Roberts said. “We’re having conversations about leverage and how to use it to our advantage.”
The ABS system, which relies on Hawk-Eye ball tracking cameras within ballparks to determine whether a pitch was in the strike zone, has been a long time coming.
The ABS system, which relies on Hawk-Eye ball tracking cameras within ballparks to determine whether a pitch was in the strike zone, has been a long time coming MLB Photos via Getty Images
Since 2022, it has been tested in the minor leagues, where players and teams came to prefer having a limited number of challenges per game over allowing the system to make every pitch call, no matter what.
Last spring, MLB gave it a trial run in big-league spring training games, gathering feedback that was used to craft the specifics for its regular-season rollout now.
“I think it should benefit baseball,” Roberts said.
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
One of the big points of previous dispute regarding ABS usage: the strike zone itself.
Veteran third baseman Max Muncy noted that, in early versions of ABS that he experienced while on minor-league rehab assignments in recent years, the top of the zone seemed atypically high –– differing significantly from the way many human umpires called the game.
“There were some pitches that, I’d go back and look at the iPad just to see (if they would be called strikes),” he recalled. “And there were ones literally at my eyes that it would say is a strike, just because of how the zone is measured.”
Veteran third baseman Max Muncy noted that, in early versions of ABS that he experienced while on minor-league rehab assignments in recent years, the top of the zone seemed atypically high. Jason Szenes for CA Post
Now, however, MLB has made some tweaks.
Compared with data compiled from actual umpires’ calls, the top and bottom of the ABS zone have been made slightly tighter (“That stinks a little bit,” Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow joked). The league has also been measuring players’ heights this spring for ABS purposes, so each batter will have a zone proportional to their size.
“They’re doing things to make it better, I think,” Muncy said. “But there’s no way to tell until we actually get it.”
For the Dodgers, that process will start Saturday, providing a new subplot to follow over the course of the season.
Now, just like batting average and on-base percentage, players will undoubtedly have their challenge success rate tracked –– by media, coaches and front office analysts most of all.
Their ability to judge the right time in a game to challenge calls will also be scrutinized, introducing a new strategic element to every at-bat.
“You really have to know when you should challenge and when you can’t,” Muncy said. “Like, if it’s the third inning, 0-2 count, two outs and there’s no one on, and there’s a pitch that’s called on you that’s maybe borderline –– even if you’re right, is that really gonna change that much? And if it’s the eighth inning, full count, bases loaded and a pitch is borderline, even if you’re wrong, to me that’s an OK time to challenge.”
And for pitchers like Glasnow, it means leaving the responsibility largely up to the catchers Jason Szenes for CA Post
To Roberts, it means that “some hitters have to be honest with themselves” in the heat of the moment and avoid risking challenges at the wrong time simply out of frustration with borderline calls.
“That goes with baseball IQ,” he said. “Understanding when you challenge, when you don’t.”
And for pitchers like Glasnow, it means leaving the responsibility largely up to the catchers, who have the best view of the zone from right behind the plate.
“Now, if it’s super obvious, I might (still challenge a call),” Glasnow added with a chuckle.
If he does, as Roberts cautioned, he just better be right.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - FEBRUARY 19: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers sits on the sidelines during the game against the Atlanta Hawks at Xfinity Mobile Arena on February 19, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Well, this isn’t optimal.
Joel Embiid has been ruled out for the Philadelphia 76ers’ visit to the New Orleans Pelicans set for Saturday evening according to the team’s injury report. The news comes after the team announced back on Wednesday that Embiid had reported right shin soreness over the All-Star break and would be re-evaluated before this weekend. He is officially listed as out for both right knee injury management and right shin soreness.
This will be Embiid’s fourth straight game sidelined, missing two before the break and now at least two following it. The Sixers have gone 0-3 in the last three without him. Before this hiatus, the big fella had gone about a month of consistent playing without missing games unplanned (planned absences being one leg of each back-to-back).
This doesn’t bode well for the Sixers who have looked an absolute mess without Embiid. Earlier in the season, the squad was finding ways to win some games even without the star center. More recently? Not so much. Since Dec. 23 (when his most consistent playing stint began), Embiid has averaged 30.0 points on 52.7% field goal shooting with 8.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.0 block across 20 games. That’s not even to mention the non-statistical contributions his presence provides on the floor such as game-changing spacing thanks to the attention he commands from opposing defenses. Without him, the Sixers’ threats are limited, and it makes them much easier to defend against (as we’ve all seen as this point).
It certainly doesn’t help that Paul George is also unavailable to play due to his suspension, too, but it really feels like the Sixers squad had gotten very comfortable with specifically Embiid being out there with them. Now, they’re scrambling and struggling again without him, and it hasn’t been pretty. Most recently, on Thursday night, they lost to Atlanta, making the sub-.500 Hawks team look a lot better than they actually are in the process.
Saturday’s matchup against the Pelicans is the first leg of a road back-to-back for the Sixers, and there’s no word yet on whether the team is considering re-evaluating Embiid before the second leg visiting the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.
Either way, the rest of the team is going to have to figure out a way to put up some level of a fight without him.
Arizona Diamondbacks Jordan Lawlar catches a fly ball during spring training workouts at Salt River Fields on Feb. 13, 2026, in Scottsdale. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Record: 1-0. Change on 2025: +1. 5-inning record 0-1.
The Diamondbacks got off to a winning start this afternoon, coming from behind with a two-run eighth inning to prevail over their SRF-mates from Colorado. It was a day for the new guys, with all three Arizona runs being driven in by players who weren’t part of the organization at the end of last season. Nolan Arenado got the team on the board with the D-backs’ first home-run (below), giving them a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Then, trailing 2-1 in the eighth, shortstop Jacob Amaya singled home A.J. Vukovich with the tying run. Catcher Matt O’Neill then double home Amaya, with what proved to be the winning run for Arizona.
On the pitching side, the D-backs used eight different pitchers, seven of whom put up zeroes. The exception was Isaiah Campbell, who allowed both Rockies’ runs in the fourth, on a pair of hits. However, the defense didn’t help him on either of those. The first was an infield single to former D-backs Jake McCarthy, though Arenado’s attempt to get him at first… was not great. Playing left, Ryan Waldschmidt then got all turned around, with a very poor first step on a ball which ended up whistling over his head for an RBI triple. But otherwise, decent results, with Thomas Hatch and Andrew Hoffmann each getting two K’s in the first and second innings.
They were helped considerably by Gabriel Moreno using his ball-strike challenges effectively behind the plate. He got three reversals in a row, turning balls into strikes, before the end of the second. It was not a good day for home-plate umpire Alex McKay. All told six of seven challenges by the players ended up being successful. Also, in kneejerk reactions, Waldschmidt didn’t look great at the plate overall, though did scald the day’s hardest-hit ball at an impressive 115.6 mph. Nor did Druw Jones impress the SnakePit, but Tommy Troy had some decent at-bats. Alek Thomas reached base safely in both of his at-bats, on a walk and a hit.
We’ll be back tomorrow, facing the same opposition, with the Diamondbacks the home-team this time! It will be another 1:10 pm start at Salt River Fields, with Mitch Bratt making his Diamondbacks debut.
Inglewood, CA - February 15: Anthony Edwards was named the MVP after scoring 32 points across three games during the 75th NBA All-Star Game as part of the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend on Sunday, February 15, 2026 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The Dallas Mavericks (19-35) start off the post-NBA All-Star push on the road Friday night, this time matching up against the Minnesota Timberwolves (34-22). Dallas hasn’t won a game since January 22nd, so a win here would mean they can cut the streak at nine games and before it reaches a full month. Minnesota is looking to start a win streak after beating the pants off of the Atlanta Hawks and Portland Trailblazers before All-Star weekend.
WHO: Dallas Mavericks vs Minnesota Timberwolves
WHAT: Road trippin’, still
WHERE: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
WHEN: 6:30 pm CST
HOW: ESPN
One would think that given a week off, the Dallas Mavericks injury report would be reasonable. That is not the case unfortunately. Cooper Flagg will miss this game due to a foot sprain. Max Christie was downgraded to doubtful a few hours ago. The two-way guys, Ryan Nembhard and Moussa Cisse won’t be playing.
With both Cooper Flagg and Luka Doncic out, this game probably becomes unwatchable for most Mavericks fans given the late start time. I do not blame them, but as I run a Mavs website, I try to watch all games. Caleb Martin and Daniel Gafford are each questionable. Naji Marshall is not on the report after hurting his foot against the Lakers a week ago.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have a clean bill of health in comparison.
Expect a huge game from Anthony Edwards. But if Dallas hopes to hang on and steal a win, they need to control the glass and get out in transition. Dallas has gotten stomped both games this season by the Timberwolves and unfortunately, this game might be more of the same.
Be sure to chime in with your predictions in the comments!
Consider joining Josh and me on Pod Maverick live after the game on YouTube, we should start LATE. Thanks so much for spending time with us here at Mavs Moneyball. Let’s go Mavs!
NORTH PORT, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 20: Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves poses for a photo during Spring Training photo day at CoolToday Park on February 20, 2026 in North Port, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
By this time tomorrow, the Braves will have gotten done with their first spring training game of the season. That’s pretty exciting, even if all that means is that the countdown to the Opening Day will officially be underway. Anyways, here’s hoping tomorrow goes well. The floor is now yours and here’s a random clip:
Cubs 2026 regular season record wearing various uniforms
White pinstripe: 0-0 Chicago Blues: 0-0 Blue alternate: 0-0 Road gray: 0-0
Cubs 2026 spring training record: 14-18 (14-17 Spring Training, 0-1 WBC exhibition) Al’s 2026 spring training record: 7-8 (7-7 Spring Training, 0-1 WBC exhibition)
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a team to keep an eye on leading up to the 2026 NHL trade deadline. With the Penguins in second place in the Metropolitan Division standings, they are setting themselves up to be buyers.
One area that the Penguins should look to address leading up to the trade deadline is the right side of their blueline. When looking at trade candidates around the NHL, Boston Bruins defenseman Andrew Peeke stands out as a very interesting option for the Penguins to consider.
While the Bruins currently hold the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference standings, Peeke's name has been floating around the rumor mill. If the Bruins make him available, the Penguins should consider kicking tires on the big right-shot defenseman.
If the Penguins brought in Peeke, he would provide them with a clear upgrade for their third pairing. Furthermore, his defense-first style of play would give the Penguins another clear option to work with on their penalty kill if acquired.
Peeke is also just 27 years old, so he could be the kind of pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) that the Penguins look to extend as a part of the deal. In that scenario, Peeke could be a strong trade fit for the Penguins.
In 56 games this season with the Bruins, Peeke has recorded four goals, eight assists, 12 points, 67 hits, and 101 blocks.
In his second at-bat (above), Munetaka Murakami slapped a 108 mph single. The next inning, he did even more damage. | (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
It’s rare that a Cactus League opener is better welcomed for its final score than for the mere notion that baseball is back. But with an 8-1 walloping of the Cubs at their Sloan Park home field — and against a true Cubs rotation piece in Jameson Taillon, at that — the White Sox managed to make this opener more about the result.
Not to say it isn’t wonderful to have baseball back, even facing a club wearing those cuddly pinstriped PJs. But the South Siders made hay all day, pounding Cubs pitching for 12 hits, six of them for extra bases.
Right off, it was Austin Hays homering in his first White Sox appearance. (If memory serves, Austin Slater homered in his first regular season PA for the club, and his flip at the trade deadline last summer eventually netted Chicago a potential fifth starter, so start shopping again in the Bronx Bombers Gift Book, Chris Getz.)
(OK, well MLB had the Hays homer footage up earlier, but now it’s gone. It was a sweet, 105.6 mph smash to left field, chasing a Kyle Teel ground out off the bat at 107.4.)
Crisp contact would quickly become a theme of the day. After White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon (an OK first start despite 41 pitches to get five outs, three Ks, a walk and a homer) lost the lead to a Seiya Suzuki long ball in the Cubs half of the first, the Good Guys really went to work.
Derek Hill started off his 1-for-1, two-walks afternoon with a free pass, and on an 0-2 count next Sam Antonacci crushed a room-service fastball deep and out to right field. With this bat chuck from Sam, you would have thought he struck out, but the paisan announced his Spring Training presence with authority either way:
The White Sox picked up another off of Taillon right away, as Korey Lee singled and stole second, driven home by a Tristan Peters single.
Two innings later, three walks sandwiched around a single out packed the sacks for Munetaka Murakami. What happened next could be characterized as a gift double courtesy of Suzuki or a ball that would have been a grand slam in 16 of 30 MLB parks, depending on which side of town in which you reside:
By the way, Munetaka swung through a 95 mph fastball on the first pitch of the at-bat, but when Cubs reliever Porter Hodge cited the pregame skinnies and dipped right back into the well for a nearly identical pitch, Mune crushed it 408 feet off the center field wall. Take your scouting report and shove it, MLB.
Munetaka’s two hits on the day cracked off the bat at 108.3 (second-inning single) and 105.5 (fourth-inning double).
After Antonacci eventually ended the fourth inning with a GIDP, the game shifted to let’s-finish mode, with a parade of outs and just three more extra-base hits for either side.
Two of the XBHs was from “singles hitter” William Bergolla Jr., with a double in the sixth and two-bagger in the eighth that would lead him home as the South Siders’ final run.
And the other one, well, get on the Braden Montgomery hype train, because he clocked a first-pitch, two-out triple to drive in Darren Baker from first:
CHECK OUT THAT SPEED. It’s a standup triple on a screaming liner to the wall. Montgomery is at or past second base by the time the ball is fielded and is nearly standing on third by the time the cutoff man has the pill. Whoa.
All in all, a splendid opener for the White Sox. Shed a tiny tear for those ivy bumblers.
The undefeated Chicago Nine will lace ’em back up tomorrow for the Camelback Ranch opener against the A’s, which will be a CHSN broadcast to boot.
The Dodgers‘ iconic uniform has looked off the last few seasons.
When Nike rolled out its Vapor Premier template across Major League Baseball in 2024, the backlash was swift. Players around the league grumbled about thinner fabric, awkward fits and pants that felt better suited for a beach volleyball tournament than a pennant race.
The Dodgers‘ iconic uniform has looked off the last few seasons. Getty ImagesFor 2026, Nike finally listened to the fans and made changes. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The backlash was felt in Los Angeles as well, but it wasn’t just the breathability of the uniforms. Fans noticed instantly that the script was off.
The second “d” in “Dodgers” was sliced in half by the jersey placket, as if someone had taken scissors to the logo at the wrong time. A tiny detail, some said. Tell that to a fan who’s worn that script across his chest since childhood.
For 2026, Nike finally listened to the fans and made changes.
The font is larger. The spacing is cleaner. Most importantly, the lowercase “d” no longer awkwardly straddles both sides of the jersey opening.
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
There’s a clean, traditional break between the “o” and the “d,” restoring the classic flow of the Dodgers’ iconic chest script. The material has also been upgraded — thicker, more durable, less transparent — a nod to the chorus of player complaints that began in spring 2024.
Nike fixes #Dodgers jerseys for 2026 feature including a corrected script logo where the letter "d" is no longer split by the placket. The redesign restores a more traditional, larger font for lettering & Numbers A return to more durable, higher-quality fabric. pic.twitter.com/YJV1OIQYfl
In the post above, you can see the differences in the uniform from last season to this season.
The Dodgers open their Cactus League season on Saturday at Tempe Diablo Stadium against the Angels. They will open their 2026 campaign on March 26 at Dodger Stadium against the Diamondbacks.
This is not the season the Golden State Warriors envisioned. Rather than everything falling into place for a potential deep playoff run, the Warriors are banged up, are 29-27 and sit eighth in the West, and, without Stephen Curry (runner's knee) for the next handful of games, are at risk of falling even further back in the West.
Despite all that, don't expect massive changes this offseason.
Jimmy Butler, who tore his ACL and will miss at least half of next season, told season ticket holders in a letter that he plans to be back.
Jimmy Butler has shared the following statement with me and other @warriors season ticket holders:
“Dear Warriors Season Ticket Family,
I have played in front of many incredible crowds over my 15 seasons in the NBA, but there was always something about playing in the Bay Area…
"This story, which has been interrupted twice, is not complete. Not by a long shot. This period is simply a part of our journey. I can't wait to see what next season holds and will treasure the opportunity to put my jersey back on and take the court with Steph, Dray, and the rest of the guys, in front of you all. I'm sure that when I return and hear all of you in unison chant "WAAAAARRRRRRIIIIORRRSSSSS," it will push me forward and provide an incredible adrenaline rush."
Rumors flew around at the trade deadline about the Warriors chasing Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the only way to reasonably make that work is to trade either the injured Butler or Draymond Green back to Milwaukee, to make the salaries balance. That led to a lot of speculation about Green, but Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob told Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard that Green was never on the table.
"He was never discussed in a trade; Mike [Dunleavy, Warriors GM] was 100% correct what he said. I know he got a lot of crap for that. And it did look defensive. I mean, I think he would say that in retrospect...
"We never really got engagement on some of the big deals to the point where you get into specific names. People can look at the roster and they can make assumptions about who might or might not have to go if you've got a certain person. But I can tell you he was never shopped in any way. He's a core person in our franchise. You don't trade a Draymond Green simply or easily. You do it if you have to, and you're getting tremendous value and you're improving your team. Even Draymond has said he understands that. You have to look at these things. But his name was never specifically discussed with another team. And that's the truth."
Maybe Antetokounmpo or some other big move lands in the Warriors' lap this summer, but more likely is that Green and Curry start the season with, hopefully, a better supporting cast around them, Butler returns midseason, and maybe next year they can make another run in the Stephen Curry era.
Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts watches a spring training workout at Camelback Ranch on Monday. (Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)
Flashing bleached hair under his cap as he settles in with his new team, Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz threw his first pitch of Thursday's live bating practice session to Freddie Freeman. It was called a strike. As Díaz got set for his next pitch, Freeman tapped on his helmet in a playful attempt to challenge the call.
In response, Díaz tapped his cap twice.
These gestures will become the norm in major league baseball this season, starting this weekend, thanks to the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System.
Each team will begin games with two challenges, initiated by a pitcher, hitter or catcher tapping their head within seconds of the call — no dugout consultation allowed. The moment it's challenged, a graphic will show the result of the challenge on the video board and once the call is confirmed or overturned, the game will go on.
Teams retain challenges when they're successful and lose them when they're not.
The added layer of strategy intrigues Stephen Nelson, the Dodgers’ radio play-by-play voice.
“As humans we are naturally resistant to change, especially baseball fans, and I say that as a baseball fan,” Nelson said this week at the team's Camelback Ranch training facility. “So there's definitely going to be that early period where everybody's probably going to hate it, but you got to get through that.”
In recent years, MLB has tweaked the game — implementing a replay system to challenge calls on the field, placing a runner on second base to start extra innings, using a pitch clock. The ABS system has been tested in the minor leagues since 2022, and major leaguers got a taste of it during spring training last year and also in the All-Star Game.
In 288 spring games last year, there was an average of 4.1 challenges per game, adding an average of 57 seconds to it. Pitchers and catchers successfully overturned calls more often than hitters.
So who will be in charge of making challenges during at-bats?
“I will let the catcher dictate if he [wants] to challenge or not,” Díaz said this week. “I won’t do it … he’s been there all day long, they know the strike zone for the umpire.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was hesitant to say the club will have a hard rule on who can call for challenges. He feels more comfortable with his catcher doing it than a hitter or pitcher, but if a catcher decides to challenge, he expects them to be right.
“He better be right,” Roberts said Friday.
“It’s good that we're practicing in spring, but we're having conversations about leverage and how to use it to our advantage,” he added.
Roberts said if hitters want to make a call, they need to be honest with themselves about their personal knowledge of the strike zone and their baseball IQ and understand when to challenge a call and when not to.
“There's no perfect science to it, but we're just going to keep talking about it, trying to educate our guys,” he said.
Luis Cruz, a former player and now a Spanish-language announcer for the Dodgers, said hitters don’t need to be thinking about challenging a call.
“I don’t want to have another thing in my mind … then you lose your focus on your at-bat,” he said.
Jackson Ferris to start Sunday's game
Left-hander Jackson Ferris, the Dodgers' minor league pitcher of the year in 2024, will start Sunday's game against the San Diego Padres at the Peoria Sports Complex.
Ferris, acquired along with outfield prospect Zyhir Hope from the Chicago Cubs for Michael Busch two years ago, logged a 3.86 ERA and 1.46 walks plus hits per inning pitched across 26 games and 126 innings at double-A Tulsa last season.
“I like Jackson,” Roberts said. “I like the player. He’s a good kid. A lot of talent. I think for me, it’s just trying to harness his arsenal. It’s a good fastball. He needs to continue to get ahead, be able to put hitters away with the secondary pitches, be efficient with his pitches per inning, but I like Jackson. He’s really talented. He’s scratching the surface, but he’s gotta go out there and perform, so I’m excited to see him on Sunday, and throughout the spring.”
