Alex Call on his First Start of 2026 and Using ABS to Flip an At-Bat
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Alex Call He waited his flip, stayed prepared, took a line drive off the physique throughout batting follow, then went out and helped the Dodgers win anyway. That made for a reasonably memorable first begin of the season on Saturday in Washington. Call completed with two hits and an RBI within the Dodgers’ 10-5 win over the Nationals, and one of the most important moments in his day got here when he used the brand new ABS problem system to flip what seemed like a strikeout right into a second likelihood. Just a few pitches later, he made it depend.
Staying Ready
Speaking after the sport, Call appeared like a participant who takes delight in being ready, even when the chance doesn’t come immediately. “I felt good. I prepare every day like I’m going to help the team in some way, and that keeps me ready. To go out there and take that at-bat, I was really happy with the double at-bat because that felt like an Alex Call at-bat. You grind it out, fight off tough pitches, get down in the count early, and then get a two-strike double down the line. I was really happy with that and felt good about all my at-bats. It was great to see our guys get rolling and be part of it.”
That description probably tells Dodgers fans a lot about why Call is around. The outfielder may not play every day, but he knows exactly what kind of hitter he wants to be: he wants to battle, to stretch out at-bats, and to make a pitcher work. Saturday gave him a chance to do all of that, and he sounded especially fired up about that two-strike double because it felt true to his game.
The Good Eye of Alex Call
The ABS moment added another wrinkle to it. Call said he trusted his eyes right away and felt sure the pitch was off the plate. Instead of walking back to the dugout, he challenged it, stayed alive, and soon had an RBI hit. “Usually your coronary heart drops a bit of bit, however I used to be fairly assured that it was a ball. It’s loopy as a result of I could possibly be again within the dugout grabbing my glove, and as a substitute I acquired an RBI knock and I’m celebrating. I’ve been a giant fan of it, even coming by way of the minor leagues and seeing the outcomes with it. I’ve loved that. I believe it retains a really feel within the sport the place you are still deciding, ‘Okay, that was shut. I’m probably not certain if I would like to go for it,’ versus, ‘That’s a ball. This is a giant scenario. We want to swap that one.’ That’s what occurred at this time.”
That might be about as robust an endorsement of the system as you’re going to hear. Call you will have lived with it earlier than, and on this case it modified his complete afternoon. One second he was headed towards an inning-ending frustration. The subsequent he was on base with a run pushed in and a smile on his face.
Scary Pregame Moment
Then there was the batting-practice scare earlier than the sport, when he acquired drilled by a line drive. Call dealt with that half of the day with the identical easygoing tone he introduced to every little thing else. “Not ideal. It’s all good. I’ve been hit with a baseball on pretty much every part of the body. This is actually a new one. Most of the time you don’t get fronted with it, but it’s all good. I think Muncy was behind me, so I took a bullet for Muncy. I think we’ll go with that.”
That final line tells you lots about how Call carries himself. He is critical about his work, however he additionally is aware of how to chuckle off a bizarre begin to the day. By the tip of the afternoon, he had turned that unusual pregame second into a reasonably profitable first begin of the season.
For the Dodgers, that’s the variety of depth piece that issues over a protracted yr. For Call, Saturday seemed like the type of day that reminds everybody, together with possibly the man himself, how helpful he could be when his quantity will get referred to as.
More Dodgers Coverage:
Have you subscribed to the Bleed Los Podcast YouTube channel? Be certain to ring the notification bell to watch participant interviews, take part in exhibits & promotions, and keep up to date on all Dodgers information and rumors!
