Former MLB star pitcher and current broadcaster John Smoltz received some backlash for comments he made during Game 3 of the World Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays on Monday. Smoltz questioned Brewers catcher William Contreras' decision to challenge a ball in a 2-0 game. Contreras has been exceptional when it comes to ABS challenges, and he even got the call that Smoltz questioned correct.

Smoltz's issue wasn't with the specific pitch Contreras challenged. Rather, the Hall of Famer felt it wasn't the proper time to challenge it. Many fans felt it was a fine time to challenge it since the score was only 2-0.

Smoltz addressed his comments on Tuesday during an appearance on MLB Network's MLB Now. While Smoltz changed his tune on the situation, he failed to acknowledge the score of the game element, instead claiming it was 10-0. Perhaps he was thinking of a different situation, but his comments did not directly address fans' complaints.

“This guy is unbelievable, he is,” Smoltz said of Contreras. “He knows the strike zone… I think sometimes when we're in a 10-0 game, that's I guess when I was looking at it saying… 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.”

Article Continues Below

Contreras has been incredible in the World Series. Not only has he been elite at using his ABS challenges, but he's blocking seemingly every pitch, throwing runners out, and producing quality at-bats. He could win the World Series MVP.

First, the Brewers — who lead the series 3-0 — need to win the World Series, of course. Game 4 is scheduled for Tuesday night at 8 PM ET in Tampa Bay.