Sabres setting up to lose Michael Kesselring
Buffalo Sabres bench Michael Kesselring for Game 4, uncertain future ahead
Gary Cohen criticizes players for wasting ABS challenges, emphasizing the need for better resource management. He cites a recent Mets game where a challenge was used inappropriately early in the match.
Credit: SNY
Players keep wasting ABS challenges, and Gary Cohen is tired of it.
The challenge system only works when teams treat it as a resource, not a reflex, and so far in 2026, too many players have been doing the latter. The Mets 10-2 win over the Tigers on Tuesday was the latest example, and the New York Mets play-by-play announcer had some thoughts to get off his chest.
In the second inning, with the Mets already trailing 2-0 and facing Jack Flaherty, Mets designated hitter MJ Melendez challenged a 1-1 pitch. Not a 3-2 pitch with runners on base. Not a bases-loaded situation in the seventh. A 1-1 pitch. In the second inning. Down two runs.
âThe managers are gonna have to get a hold of this because these hitters are challenging calls and losing challenges for their team early in games in non-leverage situations, and itâs just bad for your club,â Cohen opined.
âListen, the two worst at it are pitchers and hitters. Why? Because theyâre fully invested in the throwing of it and the at-bat,â added Ron Darling. âTheir eyes are deceiving them. Thatâs whatâs happening. But I know what youâre saying, Gary. This should be a team challenge each and every time, and you should really be cognizant of holding at least one of them for a late situation â maybe bases loaded or whatever. It just seems to me to be very selfish at times.â
Cohen offered what a good challenge looks like by comparison. In the first inning, Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez challenged a 3-2 pitch with a runner on base.
âThat makes sense,â Cohen said. âThatâs a high-leverage spot. But you canât be doing it leading off the inning.â
Melendez is in good â or rather, bad â company. Earlier this season, Jazz Chisholm Jr. challenged a pitch that was right down the middle with the Yankees leading 12-4 in the ninth inning, prompting Michael Kay to wonder if Chisholm was hoping for a computer malfunction.
The challenge system is still relatively new, and players are still calibrating, but this isnât a learning curve problem so much as a selfishness problem. Players are reacting to their own at-bats rather than thinking about what their team might need in the seventh inning with the bases loaded. Until managers step in and take the decision out of individual playersâ hands, expect more wasted challenges and more exasperated broadcasters.
The post Gary Cohen: Managers âhave to get a holdâ of players wasting ABS challenges appeared first on Awful Announcing.
Players are treating the challenge system as a reflex rather than a strategic resource, leading to unnecessary challenges.
Gary Cohen expressed frustration over the Mets' misuse of challenges, particularly citing a poor decision made during a recent game.
The ABS challenge system allows teams to contest certain calls during games, but it requires strategic timing to be effective.
Buffalo Sabres bench Michael Kesselring for Game 4, uncertain future ahead
Lane Kiffin's return to Oxford for the 2026 season is causing a stir among fans.
IPL 2026: What if RCB vs KKR is washed out? Playoff race implications explained.
How Kolkata Knight Riders Can Still Qualify for IPL 2026 Playoffs
Cincinnati Reds sign Chris Paddack, recently DFA'd by Marlins.
Could LeBron James join the Rockets and team up with Kevin Durant?
See every story in Sports â including breaking news and analysis.