One of the more interesting storylines to follow the rest of the spring, and then again next season, assuming implementation, is which Phillies will have Rob Thomson’s blessing to contest balls and strikes via the ABS challenge system. Maybe it’s all situation-dependent — or maybe, say, Kyle Schwarber has a privilege that, say, Trea Turner doesn’t.
That won’t matter for a while. For now, it’s about experimentation. Twice on Wednesday, that’s what J.T. Realmuto did against the Blue Jays, and twice, he was successful.
Realmuto levied both challenges as a catcher, not as a hitter. One came in the second inning with Joe Ross pitching, the other in the fourth with Seth Johnson.