Marcus Semien was out there this week doubling down on a 16.
The New York Mets infielder Semien went viral during Thursday’s game against the Washington Nationals for an extremely ill-advised challenge. Semien was batting in the fourth inning at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. with a runner on second base and nobody out.
After a 0-1 pitch by Washington’s Cade Cavalli was called a strike, Semien tapped on his helmet to initiate an automated ball-strike (ABS) system challenge. Unfortunately for Semien though, he ended up getting thoroughly embarrassed by the challenge.
The ABS system quickly confirmed the call, revealing that the pitch was completely engulfed within the strike zone (and by a good amount as well). Here is the video.
Look at this pitch Marcus Semien challenged dude pic.twitter.com/vdMiAtW778
— AT (@BaseballWRLD_) May 21, 2026
Strategically, that was not even an advantageous situation for Semien to use a challenge in either. With no outs, a runner in scoring position, and the Mets leading 2-0 at the time, there was definitely some margin for error to work with there.
The three-time All-Star Semien, a first-year Met, would go on to strike out on the very next pitch. Fortunately for him, New York still held on to beat Washington by a final score of 2-1. But the Mets have also produced some real lowlights during the series, including an awful Little League grand slam they allowed to the Nationals on Tuesday.
