Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith left two automated balls and strikes challenge opportunities unused during a 7-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 2 of the NLCS on Monday, sparking a direct rebuke from manager Dave Roberts.
The Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves in a precarious 2-0 hole heading back to Chavez Ravine after dropping a 7-4 decision to the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night. While the reigning World Series champions struggled across multiple facets of the game, manager Dave Roberts pointed directly to a pair of squandered automated balls and strikes system opportunities behind the plate as the turning point.
The Missed ABS Challenges That Cost the Dodgers Against Brice Turang
Both missed opportunities centered on plate appearances by Brewers second baseman Brice Turang. In the first inning, starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto worked Turang to an 0-2 count and fired a 91-mile-per-hour splitter to the bottom corner of the strike zone. The pitch was ruled a ball by the umpire, and catcher Will Smith opted against using an ABS challenge, choosing instead to consult the third-base umpire on whether Turang’s swing constituted a cross of the plate.
A Will Smith challenge here could have changed the bottom of the first inning https://t.co/3ZdG3Obt52 pic.twitter.com/fXfvRFjpAn
— https://x.com/TalkinBaseball_/status/2109763206046437508
The umpire ruled the swing did not happen, keeping the at-base alive. Three pitches later, Turang doubled and subsequently scored on an RBI single by William Contreras. Smith missed a second opportunity against Turang in the third inning during a full count, declining to challenge a cutter ruled wide. Turang walked, setting off a sequence where the Brewers offense exploded for a three-run frame.
Yamamoto exited with his team trailing 3-2 after Christian Yelich blasted a single toward center field that brought home both Turang and David Hamilton. Although the Dodgers briefly managed to retake the lead when Tommy Edman hit a sacrifice bunt to bring home Kyle Tucker and Freddie Freeman followed with a sacrifice fly to left field that plated Edman, the advantage quickly evaporated. Milwaukee eventually capitalized and scored four unanswered runs to secure the victory, leaving Los Angeles with both of their team’s challenges unused by the end of the night.
Will Smith said he went back and looked at the two ABS challenges he missed: "It was kind of early in the game, we kind of had him on the ropes. I figured we could get him out there. The walk one was a bummer. But it happens. It's baseball."
— https://x.com/maddie_m_lee/status/2109814674623549860
“Will’s got a great view of that; you try to defer to your catchers for challenges. If you look back, that changes the outing.”
Dave Roberts, Dodgers manager, via Nypost
Dave Roberts and Will Smith Address the Game-Altering Decisions
Roberts did not hide his frustration with the sequence after the game, delivering an unvarnished assessment of his catcher’s choices. When asked about that specific moment, Roberts stated plainly that he did not appreciate the decision to hold the challenge. Beyond the bench boss’s critique, Dave Roberts’ eye-popping reaction immediately drew widespread attention across the sports world. Yamamoto himself appeared visibly miffed on the mound, communicating through an interpreter that he had thought about challenging the sixth pitch to Turang because it appeared to catch the corner.
It was kind of early in the game. We kind of had him on the ropes
Smith said of Turang. I figured we could get him out there. The walk one was a bummer. But it happens. It’s baseball.
Roberts noted that while catchers have a great view and deserve deference in those crucial judgment calls, failing to act changed the trajectory of the entire outing.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s Rare Early Exit and Postseason Struggles at the Plate
The missed calls severely taxed Yamamoto, who was chased from the mound in the third inning after throwing 75 pitches across just 2 ⅔ innings. Yamamoto’s early exit marked his shortest outing of the season, finishing his stat line at 2.2 innings pitched, four hits, and three earned runs allowed while striking out just one batter.
Compounding the pitching woes, Smith is mired in a severe offensive slump, entering Game 2 going 1-for-23 with one walk and eight strikeouts this postseason. Despite the tough start, the clubhouse maintains its focus on bouncing back as the series shifts to Los Angeles for Wednesday’s Game 3, with first pitch set for 5 p.m. at Chavez Ravine.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto REALLY wanted Smith to challenge this. pic.twitter.com/x3DOtiHBma
— https://x.com/PitchingNinja/status/2109770636885123214
More on Dave Roberts
Dave Roberts on the missed ABS challenge from Will Smith:“I didn’t appreciate that. Will’s got a great view of that, you try to defer to your catchers for challenges. If you look back, that changes the outing.”
— https://x.com/DodgersNation/status/2109806838422384738
Will Smith on not challenging a potential third strike pitch against Brice Turang in the first and third innings, each of which led to runs against Yoshinobu Yamamoto: pic.twitter.com/uhPyYvLl1e
— https://x.com/FabianArdaya/status/2109817706975203555