Trea Turner couldn't help trolling Max Scherzer's ongoing war against MLB's robo-umps

It's only a matter of time until the robot umpires are implemented on a day-to-day basis in MLB. With there being tons of fan angst towards human umpires (i.e. Angel Hernandez), MLB has been doing trial runs with the automated ball strike (ABS) systems in the independent and minor leagues. Now, MLB is using the ABS system during spring training games.

While so far the reviews have been positive, new Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Max Scherzer admitted he wasn't a fan, praising MLB umpires and asking "can't we just be judged by humans?"

Scherzer's former Washington Nationals teammate, Trea Turner, had some fun with him after his quote went viral.

Trea Turner trolls Max Scherzer by using ABS challenge on first pitch

Scherzer and Turner faced off in Sunday's Blue Jays vs. Philadelphia Phillies game. In the opening at-bat of the game, Scherzer threw a pitch right down the middle of the plate. Turner decided to call for a challenge.

The strike call was confirmed. Turner was laughing about it, and so was Scherzer, who was smiling as he was in the midst of throwing his second pitch of the game.

Turner told MLB.com's Todd Zolecki that during warm-ups, someone on the Phillies challenged him to use the ABS challenge system on the first pitch Scherzer threw. Turner said challenge accepted.

“Nobody believed I was going to do it,” Turner said, h/t MLB.com. “So I said, ‘Why not? I don’t care.’”

Scherzer took no offense to the move, as if the smile wasn't evidence enough.

“Just some good heat going on behind the scenes there,” Scherzer said, h/t MLB.com. “Trea and I, we’re good friends, so we’ll have a laugh.

“They’re just messing with me. There was a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes there. I can’t take these at-bats seriously. These are practice games going against good friends of mine. Too many good stories together and Trea is obviously one of my favorite teammates of all time.”

Scherzer and Turner were teammates dating back to 2015 with the Nationals. In 2019, Scherzer and Turner were part of the team that brought the franchise their first ever World Series title, highlighted by defeating the Houston Astros in seven games. In 2021, both Scherzer and Turner were dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 2021 season. After that season, Turner signed an 11-year, $300 million deal with the Phillies, while Scherzer joined the New York Mets on a three-year, $130 million deal.

Scherzer found out that his colleagues heard the now viral quote about the ABS system. His former teammate in Turner decided to have some fun about it with a challenge, via a bet from a teammate.