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Padres Lose Game 1 After Roof Incident
Confirmed
In Short: In Game 1 of the National League Division Series, the Milwaukee Brewers edged the San Diego Padres with a 3-2 victory in a game marked by a bizarre incident.
During the ninth inning, with the Brewers leading by one run, Padres slugger Ty France hit a fly ball that struck a cable on the roof of American Family Field.
The ball landed in the glove of Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio at the left field warning track, leading to an out.
France's swing was intended to be a go-ahead home run, but the ball's trajectory was altered by the roof cable.
Padres manager Craig Stammen challenged the call, but it was confirmed as fair on review.
France expressed frustration, saying, "I haven't been able to fully process that," and added, "I thought I had a chance on that ball kind of the whole time off the bat."
Brewers catcher William Contreras, whose seventh-inning solo homer provided the winning run, told reporters he thought the ball would have been a home run.
Padres first baseman Ty France's swing came after Brewers closer Trevor Megill got out of a jam by striking out Fernando Tatis Jr. in the eighth inning.
The ground rules at American Family Field state that a fair ball hitting anything attached to the roof is in play.
France's frustration was palpable, as he noted, "You would think with all the technology and data and everything we have now, we'd be able to make a clear call on that."
Padres manager Stammen acknowledged the challenge, saying, "Unfortunately a bad break for us. Looked like it was a possible home run. Just didn't go our way."
What this adds
The incident highlights the complexity of ground rules and the impact of stadium design on game outcomes.
The Padres' loss underscores the importance of every play in a tightly contested series.
Background
Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a first-pitch home run to set the tone for the San Diego Padres' 8-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series.
What's confirmed
- "It was going to be a foul ball," Murphy said after the game.
- "Unfortunately a bad break for us. Looked like it was a possible home run. Just didn't go our way. Second time that's happened this year to the Padres. We should be able to bounce back just fine from it."
What's still developing
- Even after hitting the roof, it traveled 325 feet and, according to Statcast estimates, would've been a home run in one MLB ballpark -- Daikin Park in Houston.
- The Brewers ' 3-2 win over the Padres in Game 1 of their National League Division Series on Saturday night in Milwaukee featured a bizarre and controversial moment in the ninth inning.
- That meant Chourio's heads-up and skilled play on the ball would stand as an out.
- "I stood there and watched it, and it was going [out]," France said.
- "It was staying fair. It hit a wire, took a right and the guy caught it."
- "Then the only thing I kind of realized, it changed direction a little bit, but I thought I had a beat on it for the majority of the time."
- "He gets through [explaining] the whole thing and I looked at everybody and said, 'I haven't seen it in six years, but it's definitely happening tonight,'" Erickson said.
- "And they all started laughing. It's unbelievable."
- "We joked about it at the umpire meeting today about what would happen if the ball hit the roof," he said.
- "They had their best starter going today," Stammen said.
- "I haven't really been able to fully process that, but yeah, it's a game-changing swing." The moment came late in a tight game in which the Padres jumped to a 2-0 lead, chasing Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski after just four innings.
- "I don't know if that's ever been done before. We've got ball tracking, we've got exit velocity, we've got projected distances. We have all that stuff."