Baseball returned this past Friday, as MLB clubs opened up spring training play in the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues. And with the return of America’s Pastime also came the return of ... weird baseball things.
Here is a round-up of some of the strangest things that happened this weekend in baseball.
ABS Challenge System malfunctions during Cubs-Rangers game
Spring training is often viewed as a regular-season tune-up for hitters and pitchers who haven’t seen game action all winter. On Saturday, a spring training game between the Cubs and Rangers served as a tune-up for MLB’s new-look technology, the ABS Challenge System.
In the top of the fourth inning, the Rangers had two men on and Aaron Zavala at the plate against Cubs lefthander Hoby Milner. Milner delivered a sweeper to Zavala that seemingly just missed the outside corner, an offering that was called a ball by home-plate umpire Nick Mahrley. Cubs catcher Carson Kelly tapped the top of his helmet, the universal signal for a challenge.
Something finally did pop up on the scoreboard, only it wasn’t the challenge system’s strike zone box; rather, it was an ‘MLB ABS’ graphic that repeatedly—and unhelpfully—flashed. After what seemed like a painstakingly long time, Mahrley, who received communication of the challenge result, waved off the video replay and confirmed that the call was indeed a ball.
Don’t you just love it when technology makes things harder?
Sewage leak seeps into bathroom inside Yankees’ clubhouse
S--- happened at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Saturday afternoon. No really. A sewage leak from the clubhouse bathroom seeped into the Yankees’ clubhouse and eventually pooled in some parts of the stadium, forcing fans to navigate around the, er, treacherous waters, according to The Athletic.
The Yankees had to close the downstairs section of their team store due to the leak, which also spread into other areas of the carpeted (gasp!) clubhouse.
Worst of all was the unbearable stench that wafted around the stadium concourse and into the hallway, where the Yankees held postgame interviews following the club’s 20-3 blowout of the Tigers.
“It’s spring training for the toilets, too,” a Yankees spokesperson told The Athletic.
Randy Arozarena forgets jersey, has to wear different one with name taped on back
In a tale straight out of a comedy about a little league team, Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena apparently forgot his jersey for Sunday’s game against the Reds, according to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times.
Sunday’s contest was the equivalent of a road game for the Mariners, who made the roughly 20-minute trip from Preoria, Ariz., to Goodyear, Ariz. But Arozarena’s jersey did not make the trip and he was forced to don a replacement uniform, which amusingly saw him wearing No. 75. He normally wears No. 56.
A Mariners staffer, in a task that undoubtedly was not on his expected to-do list entering the day, then had to tape Arozarena’s last name onto the back of the faux jersey.
Randy Arozarena forgot his jersey so they gave him an extra and taped his name on it pic.twitter.com/gKsopqbZtX
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) February 22, 2026
Emergency alarms go off during Giants-Cubs game after person smokes in bathroom
The Giants-Cubs game got off to the strangest start possible for multiple reasons. Just four pitches into the contest at Scottsdale Stadium, an emergency alarm sounded, sending fans heading for the exits as a message played over the public address system.
“Attention. Attention,” the robotic voice stated. “An emergency has been reported in this building. Please cease operations and leave the building, utilizing the nearest exits or fire exit stairway. Do not use elevators. Repeat. Do not use elevators.”
The message then began to repeat, as confusion spread throughout the ballpark. Some people got up and left. Some remained in their seats. Home-plate umpire Bruce Dreckman signaled for play to continue, so Robbie Ray, not ceasing operations, delivered a pitch while the sultry sounds of the alarm and repetitive robotic voice persisted in the background.
Ray walked Cubs batter Matt Shaw before Chicago manager Craig Counsell emerged from the dugout to have a chat with Dreckman, presumably to double-check that there wasn’t, in fact, an emergency.
Shaw stole second, after which the robotic voice stopped speaking, prompting a loud cheer from the fans and this priceless line from Giants commentator Duane Kuiper:
“Little did we know that it took a stolen base to shut that guy up,” Kuiper deadpanned.
As it turns out, the emergency alarm was triggered by a fan smoking a cigarette in the bathroom, according to MLB.com.
Giants turn triple play after Cubs’ baserunning blunder
As if the aforementioned Giants-Cubs game wasn’t weird enough already, the Giants turned a triple play in the most bizarre way possible in the top of the first inning after the alarm incident.
🚨 TRIPLE PLAY! TRIPLE PLAY! TRIPLE PLAY! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/8SjdbFxurs
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) February 22, 2026
With runners on first and second and no one out, Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki lofted a bloop to shallow right field that dropped out of reach of Giants second baseman Luis Arráez. Arráez fired the ball into the infield just as Suzuki was headed for second base. Giants first baseman Rafael Devers cut the throw off and fired into second, where Giants shortstop Willy Adames tagged Suzuki for out No. 1.
Meanwhile, there was mass confusion on the basepaths for the Cubs. Alex Bregman, who started the sequence on first base, kept running towards third while Shaw, who started at second base, had stopped at third.
With two Cubs standing at third, Adames tagged both of them. Bregman, the trail runner, was called out (out No. 2) but Shaw was ruled safe by the umpire. Shaw, evidently thinking the inning was over, stepped off the base towards the Cubs’ third base coach Quintin Berry. Shaw was then tagged out by Giants third baseman Matt Chapman for the third out, wrapping up one of the most bizarre triple plays in MLB history.
“It was definitely Spring Training, you know?” Bregman said, according to MLB.com.
More MLB on Sports Illustrated
- Legendary Yankees Announcer Reveals He Suffered Heart Attack Last Month
- Shohei Ohtani Jokes There's One Scenario Where He'd Pitch for Team Japan in WBC
- Bill Mazeroski, Pirates' World Series Hero, Dies at 89
- Austin Wells Quickly Lost All of Yankees’ ABS Challenges in First Spring Training Game
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Five Ways Spring Training Got Weird This Weekend.
