Torkelson's early non-challenge proves costly in Tigers loss

SAN DIEGO -- For a second, Kevin McGonigle looked like he was going to get another bases-loaded opportunity. Then came the called third strike from plate umpire Malachi Moore.

Spencer Torkelson clearly thought the 3-2 fastball from Padres starter Randy Vásquez was outside. He was hunched over, shedding his shin guards and getting ready to walk to first base when Moore signaled the punchout.

That ensuing split second that felt like a minute is the new reality of baseball, and the new debate for players: To challenge or not to challenge?

Torkelson, frozen in his pose and grabbing at his shin guards, was seemingly debating it. He clearly thought it was a ball. But was he confident enough in it to use a challenge in the first inning, not knowing that Statcast seemed to back him up?

It seems like an easy call for TV viewers and streamers who have grown accustomed to the strike-zone box on their screen. It’s a tougher call for players who can only go on short-term memory and strike-zone experience.

After two seconds that felt like a half hour, Torkelson stood up and accepted the call. The first-inning strikeout turned out to be a key turning point in the Tigers’ 3-0 loss to the Padres, and maybe a teaching moment for the Tigers in how and when to utilize the ABS Challenge System.

“We have the green light to challenge in that situation. That's a leverage situation,” Torkelson said after the game. “It's on me for not challenging, honestly. I had a gut feeling. I just didn't trust it, which I wish I did.”

The Tigers were conservative for much of Spring Training in utilizing the challenge system, even after manager A.J. Hinch and his staff used one of their daily team meetings to encourage them to get a feel for it and try it out. Their hitters made just 16 challenges in Grapefruit League play, fewest among Major League teams in Spring Training, and won just six of them.

Tigers pitchers and catchers seemed more eager to test it than hitters, though some reluctance on the offensive side in Spring Training might have been intended to save challenges for Detroit’s vaunted pitching staff.

The Tigers challenged once in each of their first two games this series and won both, including a strike overturned to a ball by Javier Báez on Opening Day.

Hinch has not set restrictions on who can use challenges and when. His main instructions have been to know the zone, a natural extension of Detroit’s team philosophy on staying within the zone and not chasing pitches.

“I think our guys understand that it's all about the strike zone,” Hinch said late in camp. “It's not about emotion. It's not about anything beyond the strike zone. The team that has the best knowledge of the strike zone will be the team that utilizes the ABS Challenge System the best.”

Said Torkelson: “We've had conversations on when to challenge and when not to challenge. And that was a time to challenge. … That's a perfect scenario to do it, 3-2, two outs, first and third. If there's a time to challenge early, that's it.”

In fairness, Vásquez had many Detroit hitters debating their grasp of the zone, collecting 17 called strikes across five pitch types. He picked up three called third strikes within his first 13 batters, including McGonigle’s first MLB strikeout on a 95 mph sinker to lead off the second inning.

Colt Keith and McGonigle challenged called strikes later in the game, only to lose both.

“It's about the strike zone,” Hinch reiterated Saturday. “I don't think it's a teaching moment. I just think it's about confidence around the strike zone. Sometimes you flinch or you don't get quite a good look where you feel confident to challenge, then you look back. You guys are watching it on the screen in real time. It's not quite the same in the [batter’s] box.

“Those [like Torkelson in the first inning] are ones you'd like to get back a little bit, but you don't get a second look at them. You don't get a long look and there's no box out there to reference. We want to get those back. We also want to get a run early in the game, probably would've [made] a difference in the first inning. If we could've just jumped ahead a little bit when we had the opportunity. We had a hard time getting anything started after that.”