The Milwaukee Brewers took Game 1 of the NLDS 3-2 over the San Diego Padres on Saturday, but the ending had everybody talking. In the ninth inning, Ty France launched a fly ball that clipped a roof cable at American Family Field and came down in Jackson Chourio’s glove at the warning track for an out, as CBS Sports broke down.
What the Rule Says
American Family Field’s ground rules say a ball that hits the roof over fair territory stays in play. Umpires ruled it fair, and San Diego’s challenge didn’t change anything. Even Padres manager Craig Stammen didn’t argue the rule: “The rule is, if they deemed the ball to be fair and it comes down, you can catch it.”
Would it have been gone? Probably not. CBS Sports noted the ball came off France’s bat at 105.3 mph with a 49-degree launch angle, which Statcast says would have been a homer in only one park, Houston’s Daikin Park. France was still processing it after the game: “That was a game-changing swing.”
The IAHHM Take
The roof gets the headlines, but the Padres lost this one long before the ninth. San Diego went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on base, per ClutchPoints. The Padres jumped out 2-0 in the second, Chourio tied it with a two-run homer in the third, and William Contreras won it with a solo shot off Adrian Morejon in the seventh.
That’s October baseball. One weird bounce gets remembered, but the stranded runners decide the series. Game 2 sets up Michael King for San Diego against Brewers rookie Logan Henderson. For more postseason storylines, check out how the White Sox went from 100 losses to the ALDS.
Your call: Should domed and roofed parks change their ground rules for the postseason, or is this just home-field advantage?
Source: CBS Sports
