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William Contreras Forgot He Can't Challenge Strikes Anymore in Opening Day Bout vs. Yankees

Maybe next year.
Michael Kadlick|
William Contreras trying to challenge a strike call.
William Contreras trying to challenge a strike call. | Screenshot via @PitchingNinja on X.

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Milwaukee BrewersNew York Yankees

Major League Baseball experimented with an automated ball-strike system (ABS) this spring training that allowed batters to challenge balls and strikes from the plate and, while the results were promising, they decided not to carry it into the regular season.

On Thursday afternoon, however, it looked like Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras forgot the rule no longer existed.

During Milwaukee's opening day matchup against the Yankees in New York, he was rung up on a slider from pitcher Carlos Rodon. After the call was confirmed by the first base umpire, Contreras attempted to challenge it by tapping the side of his helmet—only to quickly realize his mistake, resulting in this hilarious moment:

Maybe next year.

Milwaukee enters 2025 coming off of a first-place finish (93-69) in the NL Central and a season where their manager, Pat Murphy, won NL Manager of the Year.

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Mike Kadlick
MICHAEL KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is an NFL writer for Sports Illustrated. He’s also a New England Patriots reporter for CLNS Media, where he hosts the Patriots Daily podcast and covers the beat from Gillette Stadium. Before joining SI, Kadlick worked at WEEI sports radio in Boston. He holds a master’s degree in public relations from Boston University. When Kadlick’s not covering football, he can be found running, spending time with his wife and dog, and enjoying all things pizza.

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