Former MLB pitcher John Smoltz changed course on Tuesday, a day after his criticism of Milwaukee Brewers’ catcher William Contreras’ ball-strike challenges during World Series Game 3 drew a wave of backlash. Appearing on MLB Network’s MLB Now, the Hall of Famer praised the 28-year-old and said he had reconsidered the moment that started the argument.
Smoltz described the situation as a 10-0 game. The challenge he questioned came in the bottom of the third inning at Tropicana Field, with two outs and Milwaukee ahead 2-0. Contreras tapped his head as soon as a low pitch was called a ball, and the ABS review overturned the call to a strike.
Smoltz had argued there was no reason to take the risk. “There’s just no need for it,” he said, adding, “You’re up two to nothing, there’s no stress.” However, on Tuesday, Smoltz recast the same decision.
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“I think this guy’s unbelievable. OK, he is. And he knows the strike zone, and credit be given to him. I think sometimes when we’re in a ten-to-nothing game, I guess when I was looking at it, saying, OK… But I had to rethink it. If I’m a pitcher on the mound and he’s fighting for me, then I’m happy about it.”
That 10-run lead did exist later in the game. Milwaukee scored eight runs with two outs in the fifth, turning a 2-0 game into 10-0 on the way to a 10-1 win and a 3-0 series lead. At the moment of the challenge, the score was 2-0. Fans quickly reacted on social media following his take.
The cost of being wrong is also limited. Under the ABS system, in its first season in the majors in 2026, a team keeps its challenge when a review is won; according to the Associated Press, challenges are exhausted after two unsuccessful attempts.
William Contreras did not waste his. He won all four of his challenges in Game 3, and through three World Series games he had overturned seven of nine.
William Contreras Explains Why He’s Not Afraid to Lose a Challenge
Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras had already explained his thinking on MLB Network before Game 3. He said the call is his and that a lost challenge does not deter him.
“Whenever I want to challenge, I call it. I’m not afraid to lose my challenge,” William Contreras said on MLB Network ahead of Game 3. “I trust my pitcher. I don’t care about the numbers after the end of the season,” he said. “But I like to know how the box is. It’s different with every hitter.”
His record supports the approach. MLB.com reported that Contreras led the majors with 185 regular-season challenges, 49 more than second-ranked Tyler Stephenson, and posted a 57% overturn rate. In the postseason, he has been more aggressive and more accurate: 29 challenges through Game 3, more than any other catcher, and a 66% success rate.
Edited by Kaushani Chatterjee
