Former Tennessee Vols star Christian Moore triggers an awkward end to blowout spring training game under new and controversial replay rule
Former Tennessee Vols star Christian Moore is working to earn his place with the Los Angeles Angels in spring training after the Halos took him with the eighth overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft last summer. Moore had a very interesting moment in a spring training game on Sunday that happened to highlight a […]
Former Tennessee Vols star Christian Moore is working to earn his place with the Los Angeles Angels in spring training after the Halos took him with the eighth overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft last summer.
Moore had a very interesting moment in a spring training game on Sunday that happened to highlight a current major controversy in the league. With the Angels losing 14-1 in the ninth inning to the Cleveland Guardians, Moore took a pitch in a full count for a game-ending strike three.
He challenged the call, and after review, the ball was determined by video replay to have been a hair off the plate. The game continued, Moore was awarded a walk, and the game continued for long enough for the Guardians to make another pitching change and eventually get the final out.
First, while some might frown at challenging a pitch to end the game in a 14-1 loss, Moore is fighting to make the team. He's not Mike Trout; every at bat and chance to get on base matter for a rookie trying to earn a roster spot.
However, the situation highlighted the controversy of the system. Aside from the momentary delay, which has been a complaint by some to in-game manager challenges in recent years, the pitch was a half inch off the edge of the strike zone.
The strike zone has been something that's been subject to a relative amount of interpretation over the years, or rather "the human element" of the game. It's important, of course, to get blatantly awful misses out of the game, such as this nonsense:
However, having to pull out a ruler on pitches that shave the edge of the zone feels a little bit over the top on a game that's been based on judgment calls for well over a century.
Again, can't blame Moore for doing what he did. It was, for his circumstances, the right move. It just further raises the question of whether a transition from spring training to the regular season of the ABS system (automated ball-strike challenge system) is warranted.
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