Juan Soto’s ninth-inning home run was overturned on Saturday, costing the New York Mets a huge chance to tie the game. Instead of building momentum against the league-best Atlanta Braves, the Mets lost 3-1. Now, their record is 31-39, and they are 5.5 games out of a playoff spot. Every game matters right now, and this one bad call could really hurt their chances to save their season.

After the game, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza explained the confusing reason he got from the umpires.

“They didn’t see the ball leave the ballpark, and there was no fan interference. It was tough to tell from the big screen there, and that’s what they got in the replay room,” Mendoza said, per SNY Mets.

The Mets’ hitters are struggling right now. They have one of the worst slugging percentages in the league (.368). Juan Soto is their only bright spot. He is hitting very well, with a .287 average and a .559 slugging percentage. But on Saturday, umpires took away his 16th home run of the season after that very controversial review.

Juan Soto led off the ninth inning on Saturday with the Mets trailing 3-1. On a changeup, he took Raisel Iglesias deep. The ball looked like it had hit the top of the wall near the orange line. Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski tried to jump and catch it. At first, the umpires called it a home run. But the Braves asked for a review.

Video replays showed a fan reaching over the wall trying to catch the ball. Umpires in the replay room in New York watched the video for a long time. Finally, they decided that the fan did not actually interfere, but that the ball never fully left the ballpark. Because of this, they overturned the home run call and gave Soto a double instead.

Following Soto, Mark Vientos struck out swinging. Though Iglesias allowed a walk to Marcus Semien, he quickly closed out the game by inducing a double play against Francisco Alvarez. It was Iglesias’ fourteenth save of the season.

While Sean Manaea recorded his first quality start of the season, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits across six innings, the Mets’ lineup remained cold. Their only run came off Mark Vientos’ single, on which Bo Bichette scored.

It is not certain that Juan Soto’s homer would have changed the outcome of the match, but the Mets fans will certainly wonder. And that has sparked fan frustration towards MLB umpires.

Mets fans put MLB umpires on notice for overturned home run call

“Clear as day left the park @MLB is a complete rigged shitshow,” a fan alleged.

On Saturday, Soto’s long fly ball appeared to hit the top of the left field wall, near the railing, on the orange line. But, to be considered a home run, the ball needs to clear the line and leave the field completely. However, it is unclear from the video whether the fan made contact with the ball.

As the sequence of events remains unclear, another fan commented, “When the replay people, who can take all the time they need, get it wrong, they should endure some sort of penalty.”

Replay officials at the Replay Command Center in Major League Baseball Advanced Media headquarters in New York conduct all reviews. This season, video reviews are changing a lot of calls. Data from 2026 shows that umpires overturn about 53% of challenged calls. This means they reverse their first choice more than half the time. But that fact does not make Mets fans feel any better.

Some fans also bashed the spectator who reached over the railing to catch the ball.

One fan wrote, “Retards walk among us! A— should be banned.”

Though the ball appeared to pass right through the spectator’s hand, it cannot certainly be deduced from the footage whether the guy made contact. Even a tiny touch from a fan can easily change a play. This is a tough reminder for fans in the front row to keep their hands back.

While umpires took most of the heat from fans, Mendoza did not escape either.

“What’s his explanation for playing a garbage lineup? This shit is unacceptable,” wrote one user.

Bo Bichette scored the only run for the Mets on a single from Mark Vientos. The Braves’ starter, Martin Perez, gave up 4 hits to the Mets in 5.1 innings, but allowed only one run. The Mets’ lineup failed to cash in on scoring opportunities, as they went 1-for-5 with RISP.