McLain’s three – In the Reds’ 6-2 loss to the Padres in San Diego, Matt McLain turned one plate appearance into a rare ABS moment—successfully challenging three pitches called strikes by Padres reliever Jason Adam. The win through review was historic, even as Cincinnati still
The eighth inning looked destined to be another free pass for the Padres. Matt McLain was representing the tying run when he stepped in, and the first thing people noticed was how quickly the plate turned into a test of patience.
McLain faced Padres reliever Jason Adam and saw five pitches. Of those, he threw ABS challenges on three—exactly where the margin was thinnest. Sliders from Adam in 1-0. 2-0. and 3-1 counts were all initially called strikes. but each one was out of the zone upon review. and McLain won all three challenges.
The baseball record attached to that sequence is what made it land: 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 tried three challenges during a single plate appearance. but his final try on a 3-2 pitch was unsuccessful.
It didn’t happen in a vacuum around him, either. McLain became the fourth batter to win three challenges in a single game, joining Nick Madrigal of the Angels on Sunday, Sal Stewart of the Reds on Saturday, and Cam Smith of the Astros on May 3.
The inning still tilted against Cincinnati. McLain’s work in the top half didn’t change what came next: the Padres added three runs in the bottom of the eighth on the way to a 6-2 victory.
The challenges themselves turned into a larger scoreboard within the game. McLain’s three wins were three of 10 made against home-plate umpire Lance Barrett. Seven of those 10 were overturned. Catcher Tyler Stephenson won both challenges for Cincinnati, while center fielder Blake Dunn lost one.
Across the diamond, the Padres went the other direction. They were 1-for-3 in their own challenges, losing both of their challenges by the fourth inning.
That makes McLain’s decision to challenge three pitches in the same trip to the plate feel even more surprising. Before Monday, he had attempted just one ABS challenge all season—on May 12 against the Nationals. After San Diego, the numbers tell a sharper story: he can say he’s 4-for-4.
And for all the momentum he created with the bat and the review button, the only result that counted in the standings was the one that followed—Padres 6, Reds 2.
Matt McLain ABS challenges Jason Adam Lance Barrett Tyler Stephenson Blake Dunn Reds vs Padres Miguel Rojas Nick Madrigal Sal Stewart Cam Smith