August 22nd, 2022 at 9:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka The Dodgers lead Major League Baseball in nearly every offensive and defensive category … except one – successful video replay reviews, or ‘challenges,’ as they are more affectionately known.
Although manager challenges aren’t at the top of the list of baseball fans and analysists favorite statistical categories since becoming an official thing in 2014, they are most certainly crucial in the desire for umpires to “get it right,” as they say. This according to the MLB.com:
Replay review was expanded starting in the 2014 season, giving managers one challenge to start the game and allowing them to challenge two times in total provided the first challenge resulted in an overturned call.
It’s that “…provided the first challenge resulted in an overturned call…” thing that the Dodgers trail the rest of MLB in.
Significantly.
In fact, heading into Sunday afternoon’s series finale against the Miami Marlins at Dodger Stadium, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had been successful in only 10 of his 27 previous challenges this season for a less-than-ideal 37.03% success rate.
Make that 10 of 28 for an even lesser-than-ideal 35.71% success rate.
With one out in the top of the first inning of Sunday’s matinee game, and with Marlins second baseman Joey Wendle on first base having drawn a four-pitch walk to lead off the game, and on his 17th pitch of the game, Dodgers right-hander Ryan Pepiot threw a 94.6-mph four-seam fastball to Marlins designated hitter Jesús Aguilar that appeared to hit the knob of Aguilar’s bat which, of course, would have been a foul ball. However, home plate umpire Dan Bellino immediately ruled that the pitch had hit Aguilar’s bottom (left) hand and awarded him first base.
Roberts immediately challenged the hit-by-pitch call, arguing that the ball had hit Aguilar’s bat, not his hand.
(Image courtesy of SportsNet LA)
It took less than a minute for video review umpires in New York to uphold Bellino’s on-field ruling that the ball had indeed hit Aguilar on his hand and not the knob of his bat.
Just like that and only 17 pitches into the game, Roberts and the Dodgers had lost their only challenge – for the rest of the game.
(Image courtesy of SportsNet LA)
As it turned out, Roberts would not need another challenge, as his team went on to rout the Marlins (again) by a final score of 10-3, to complete the three-game series sweep.
As for those offensive and defensive categories, every Dodgers starting position player recorded at least one hit on the day, for a team total of 16 hits.
(Image courtesy of SportsNet LA)
On the other side of the ball, Dodgers left fielder Joey Gallo made an absolutely perfect throw to Dodgers catcher Will Smith on a single by Marlins right fielder Brian Anderson to nail Wendle at the plate for the final out of a scoreless top of the first inning.
(Image courtesy of SportsNet LA)
With Sunday’s win, the Dodgers own an MLB-best 84-38 record and reduced their ‘Magic Number’ to 24 to win their 20th Division title since 1974.
Play Ball!
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Posted in 
Teams should not be limited in how many challenges they have. The idea is to get the right call on the field. Unfortunately, even with the review, they fail to get it right sometimes.
I do believe managers should have more than one challenge, but not unlimited. I can see some managers who would challenge every close call that goes against their team — perhaps multiple times in the same half inning.
Whoever is responsible for reviewing the Dodgers video replay should be replaced. It is obvious that close calls will not be overturned, only when there is clear evidence that the umpire made the wrong decision will NY overturn the call. While Roberts is the ultimate decision maker he is only as good as the input from the video room. On the Aguilar HBP the home plate umpire should request a video replay as there is no way he, or any base umpire, is in position to see exactly what happened. If there is no “initial” call to overturn then NY may have called the pitch foul ball rather than HBP.
Knowing all this why early in the game would you challenge a call that is not a game changer or an super obvious blown call or both.
Excellent point!
it is my contention that NY should not know the call on the field or who is challenging it. only that a play needs review.
they have lots of angles and frame by frame capabilities that make a lot of these easier than they appear to umps in real time or to us in slo-mo.
let NY look at a play and make a call. that call stands.
the entire concept of assumed accuracy is an outright failure.
right now we have a brothers in blue union problem. hernandez came out day one and said he’d never overturn a call and lobbied for reciprocity . zero integrity.
Simple, straight forward solution that should be implemented immediately.