A rare ballpark play—a catch off the roof—ended the Padres’ ninth-inning bid in the NL Division Series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers. Only inches away from changing the trajectory of the game, some late-inning bad luck and a catch on a towering ninth-inning hit handed the red-hot Padres a 3-2 loss.
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The Padres entered the top of the ninth at American Family Field trailing by a run. With one out and a runner on first, Ty France stepped up to the plate to face Brewers’ closer Trevor Megill. France sent Megill’s 98 mph four-seamer flying high into fair territory. It looked like the ball would clear the outfield wall for a go-ahead home run, giving the Padres a crucial lead. Instead, it struck the roof and landed in Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio’s glove. Based on MLB’s ground rules, the umpires ruled Ty France out.
“This is absolute MADNESS in the 9th,” wrote Ben Verlander on X. “Ty France hit a MOONSHOT that was going to be a home run. But it hit the roof and wound up caught by Jackson Chourio. The ground rules say this is an out. One of the unluckiest plays ever for the San Diego Padres.”
Surprisingly enough, this is not the first time the Padres have fallen victim to ballpark roofs.
Back in August, the Padres visited the Tampa Bay Rays for a three-game set. In the sixth inning of the series opener, the catwalks of Tropicana Field robbed Xander Bogaerts of a solo home run that would have put them ahead. Instead, the ball struck the roof and dropped straight down when Junior Caminero caught it. The Padres lost the game 9-4.
Saturday’s NLDS Game 1 was a close re-creation.
The league’s ground rules are clear for such plays. Any batted ball that strikes the roof, roof truss, or roof cable over fair territory remains in play. If it is caught by a fielder, the batter is out.
If the ground rule did not allow the ball to remain in play and ruled it a foul ball, the Padres could have gotten another chance at a comeback.
However, the Padres still challenged the ruling, stating that France’s moonshot should have been considered a foul ball. France’s drive reportedly exited the bat at 105.3 mph with a 49-degree launch angle. It was ultimately caught approximately 325 feet from home plate. The shot appeared to have been heading toward the stands. But the on-field call was upheld, and the Padres had only one out remaining to turn the game in their favor.
Unfortunately for the Padres, a home run could have won the game for them. If the shot had not hit the roof and landed in the stands, the Friars would have held a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the ninth. Star pitcher Mason Miller could have closed out the game and put the Padres ahead in the division series. Instead, after France, Jackson Merrill lined out to end the inning.
A win in the series opener would have helped them retain their momentum from the Wild Card Series. The Padres swept the Chicago Cubs 2-0 in the Wild Card Series. The Padres will have home-field advantage in Game 3 and Game 4, and winning the series opener would have made their road to the NLCS smoother.
After the game, Ty France reportedly said, “I haven’t been able to fully process that. But that was a game-changing swing.”
The San Diego Padres manager also spoke about the unusual play postgame.
Craig Stammen on Ty France’s moonshot
After the Friars dropped Game 1 of the NLDS, manager Craig Stammen revealed that they had spoken about the possibility of such a play actually happening before the game. Since a ballpark roof had troubled them once, there was always a possibility it could happen again.
“We joked about it at the umpire meeting today about what would happen if the ball hit the roof. And it was unlikely, but it happened,” said Stammen, per MLB.com. “Unfortunately, a bad break for us. Looked like it was a possible home run. Just didn’t go our way.”
The strange ending capped a frustrating night for San Diego. Despite the Padres holding an early 2-0 lead, the Brewers came back to take the game. In the third inning, Chourio hit a two-run shot to tie the game. William Contreras’ 406-foot home run put the Brewers in the lead. It also secured Game 1 for the Brewers.
With the rare play happening only a handful of times, the Brewers’ manager, Pat Murphy, also spoke with reporters postgame about the unusual play, which helped them. The manager credited former Brewers’ broadcaster Bob Uecker for their good fortune. Uecker passed away in January 2025.
“I’m telling you, Ueck reached up there and knocked that ball down,” said Murphy, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
The Brewers will play game 2 of the NLDS against the Padres on Sunday.