The Tampa Bay Rays initiated the most replay challenges in 2018

The Tampa Bay Rays challenged a play on the field 55 times in 2018, the highest of any team, comprising 33.9% of their games played, and 3.81% of all challenges. Not included in that breakdown are challenges initiated by umpires, which was the largest slice of the pie, 10.8% of challenges.

The next closest franchises were Boston with 53, and Colorado with 51. No other teams initiated more than 50 challenges.

The Rays were successful in 29 of their initiated replays (52.7%), which is better than the average on all replays challenged (48.4%).

As for the events that caused those challenges, the majority (61.8%) were tag plays (34), where the Rays were successful in 20 of their challenges (58.8%).

The next most common challenge by the Rays were 14 plays at first base (25%), where the Rays were 50:50 in their success challenging.

The Rays would only challenge on catch on the season, while the rest of their challenges comprised fair/foul or stadium boundary concerns, save one force out that was challenged.

Overall, the Rays initiated fewer replays in 2018, as they’d initiated the second most (62) in the previous season, second only to the Rockies, as well as in 2015 and 2014. Only in 2016 were the Rays middle of the pack in terms of calling for replay, but even then they initiated 53 replays. The Rays have won the majority of their challenges in each season since 2016.

Also of note, the Rays were on the receiving end of a fair number of challenges last season — 48, tied for the fifth most in baseball with the Red Sox, Dodgers, and Brewers.

On the receiving end, 22 of those challenges against the Rays were plays at first base, and the vast majority (15) were overturned. The Rays were also challenged on 18 tag plays, of which 10 were overturned.

You can explore all the challenges from 2018 at Baseball Savant.