McLain wins 3 ABS challenges -- in the same at-bat!

Matt McLain’s two-out walk in the eighth inning of the Reds’ 6-2 loss to the Padres on Monday in San Diego was anything but your typical free pass.

No, McLain had to work extra hard for this one.

Of the five pitches the Cincinnati second baseman saw from Padres reliever Jason Adam, McLain used ABS challenges on THREE of them -- and he won all three. Sliders from Adam in 1-0, 2-0 and 3-1 counts were all initially called strikes, but all three were out of the zone upon review.

McLain became the first player since ABS challenges were implemented at the Major League level this season to successfully challenge three pitches in the same plate appearance. Only one other player -- Miguel Rojas of the Dodgers in the fourth inning on June 1 -- had attempted three challenges during a plate appearance, but his final try on a 3-2 pitch was unsuccessful.

McLain became the fourth batter to win three challenges in a single game, joining the Angels’ Nick Madrigal on Sunday, McLain’s Reds teammate Sal Stewart on Saturday and the Astros’ Cam Smith on May 3.

His challenges Monday were three of 10 made against home-plate umpire Lance Barrett. Seven were overturned, with catcher Tyler Stephenson winning both challenges for Cincinnati and center fielder Blake Dunn losing one. The Padres, meanwhile, went 1-for-3, losing both their challenges by the fourth inning.

Although the stakes were high -- McLain represented the tying run in the eighth before the Padres added three in the bottom of the inning on the way to a 6-2 victory -- It was more than a bit surprising that McLain challenged three pitches in the same trip to the plate.

Before Monday, he had attempted just one challenge all season, on May 12 against the Nationals. But after showing off his keen eye in San Diego, he can say he’s 4-for-4.