Texas Rangers’ first ABS challenge offers lesson on what not to do

PHILADELPHIA — Evan Carter etched his name into Texas Rangers lore on Saturday, though not in the fashion anyone envisioned. The rookie outfielder became the first Ranger to trigger the new automatic-balls-and-strikes (ABS) challenge, contesting a called second strike during a fourth-inning at-bat in the club’s 5-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The appeal failed, and the episode instantly became a case study in strategic restraint.

With two outs, no runners aboard and Texas leading by three runs, Carter disagreed with plate umpire Mark Carlson’s strike call on a 1-1 pitch from Aaron Nola. Carter tapped his helmet to initiate the challenge, but video review upheld the call. He eventually singled on the seventh pitch of the plate appearance, yet the cost lingered: the Rangers were left with only one challenge for the final six innings.

Manager Skip Schumaker, while praising Carter’s keen eye, acknowledged the situational misstep. “Maybe we may have wanted to hold onto that one in particular just in case there’s guys on base,” Schumaker said. “These are learning lessons that we’re all working through. It’s game two of the season.”

The ramifications surfaced an inning later. With a runner on and two outs in the fifth, first baseman Jake Burger was rung up on a pitch below the zone. Had the Rangers retained both challenges, Burger might have appealed; the call would have been overturned, extending the frame. Instead, he bit his lip and returned to the dugout, wary of burning the club’s final challenge and leaving the staff empty-handed for the late innings.

Schumaker said the staff has begun alerting hitters when “this might be the time” to challenge, emphasizing leverage and game context. “If it’s a borderline pitch, I think that’s when the leverage spot really comes into play,” he noted. “If it’s not a leverage spot, I think that’s when we really try to think about if it’s the right time or not.”

Through the season’s first three days, only seven teams have challenged an offensive call just once; Texas sits among them. The Rangers also challenged the 11th-fewest pitches in Cactus League play and posted the lowest success rate. Saturday’s sequence underscored the steep learning curve accompanying technology’s expanded role.

Carter’s single ultimately padded Nola’s pitch count, but the rookie’s inaugural ABS challenge will be remembered less for the outcome of the at-bat and more for the managerial memo it produced: conserve the red flag for the moments that truly swing games.