Dodgers Involved in Historic MLB Moment in Cactus League Opener

The Los Angeles Dodgers were a part of Major League Baseball history Thursday afternoon when Max Muncy was on the wrong end of the automatic ball-strike (ABS) challenge system.

In the bottom of the first inning of the team's Cactus League opener against the Chicago Cubs, Muncy took a pitch that was called a ball.

Cubs starter Cody Poteet challenged the call and it was reversed putting Muncy in the hole 0-2. He later went on to strikeout.

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Before the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts joked with reporters at Camelback Ranch that the only player he told not to use the challenge was Max Muncy, the team's most discerning hitter. Tim Neverett, on the SportsNet LA broadcast, noted that Roberts was being playful when he said it.

"I told [Max] Muncy not to challenge," Roberts said. "He's our biggest culprit of not agreeing with the strike zone, so I said save your challenges."

So, of course, the first challenge came while Muncy was at the plate in the first inning. It was an 0-1 fastball called low, but it wasn't Muncy who challenged the call.

The first ever strike zone challenge in an MLB game is a successful one

Cody Poteet's pitch is overturned from a ball to a strike, changing the count from 1-1 to 0-2 against Max Muncy pic.twitter.com/sJz2EnNbYT
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) February 20, 2025

The new challenge system has received mixed reviews and has been experimented with in the minor leagues over the past few years.

Dodgers pitcher Landon Knack has experience with the system in the minors and spoke to Fox Sports baseball insider Rowan Kavner about it.

“It’s currently a little inconsistent,” he said. “Ballpark to ballpark, it would not be calibrated the same. So, you’d go some places and it’d be higher or lower. You go to some places, and it’s actually moved over an inch or two.”

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Knack also mentioned that, in his experience, the strike zone tends to be smaller than what he’s used to, often missing calls he would typically get at the top of the zone. As a pitcher whose fastball sits in the mid-to-low 90s, accuracy and command are crucial. A few borderline calls going against him on the edges can really impact the outcome of a start.

Knack understands the excitement around the technology and the goal of getting as many calls right as possible. He thinks it's something fans can enjoy and believes it could ultimately benefit the game once any issues are ironed out, even though it's not fully perfected yet.

For more Dodgers news, head over to Dodgers on SI.