Ty France's potential go-ahead blast becomes controversial out in Game 1 loss to Brewers

MILWAUKEE -- The San Diego Padres entered the ninth inning of Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the top-seeded Milwaukee Brewers trailing by a run.

With closer Trevor Megill on the mound to face the heart of the San Diego order, the Brewers stood three outs away from securing a pivotal win in the best-of-five series against the NL's top Wild Card team.

After Dustin Harris led off the inning with a full-count single to right, Manny Machado struck out swinging to set the stage for what would become one of the wildest, most controversial outcomes in MLB postseason history. 

What happened next can only be described as utter chaos. 

San Diego cleanup hitter Ty France, who entered the ninth 1-for-2 with a hit-by-pitch, walked to the plate representing the go-ahead run. Megill's first offering to the first baseman missed for a ball. 

His next pitch would spark debate throughout the baseball world.

The right-hander fired a 98.9 mph fastball on the inner half that France skied down the left field line, chasing Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio toward the foul pole. The 22-year-old made the catch on the warning track for the second out of the inning, putting Milwaukee on the doorstep of taking the series opener. 

At first glance, it appeared France had barely missed a go-ahead two-run blast that would have put the Padres on top 4-3 and sent the San Diego faithful into straight pandemonium. 

The next shot from the FOX broadcast showed France standing at home plate. The 32-year-old could be seen pointing toward the roof of American Family Field, indicating the ball had struck the roof before Chourio caught it.

San Diego manager Craig Stammen immediately exited the dugout and asked the six-man umpiring crew to discuss the ruling, one that could dramatically change the outcome of not only this game, but the entire series.

After replay review, crew chief Alfonso Márquez, who has been a MLB umpire for 27 years, turned on his microphone and informed the crowd that the call on the field is confirmed — the ball is live and results in an out. According to the ground rules, if a ball strikes the roof in fair territory, it is in play and able to be caught by the defense. 

The crew got the call right. The confines of American Family Field erupted.

"We joked about it at the umpire meeting today about what would happen if the ball hit the roof," Stammen told Yahoo Sports' Steve Megargee. "It was unlikely — but it happened."

Following the crushing one-run loss, France was asked postgame if, from his vantage point, the ball would have left the yard if not for the railing that impeded its path. 

His response?

"Yup," France told CBS's Jake Garegnani.

The batted ball metrics add an interesting layer to the controversy. 

According to Baseball Savant, France's sky-scrapping fly ball had a 49 degree launch angle, 105.3 mph exit velocity and a .050 expected batting average. It listed one ballpark in which the swing would have given San Diego a defining moment: Houston's Daikin Park. 

France highlighted the advanced data in today's game and how that could have impacted the review of the play.

“You would think with all the technology and everything we have now, you'd be able to make a clear call on that," France said. "That shouldn't be an out."

Coincidentally, American Family Field is not the only ballpark where the roof is a factor.

The infamous Tropicana Field, home of the American League's No. 1 seed Tampa Bay Rays, has a long history of baseballs striking the roof and creating memorable plays. 

In a 2021 game between the Rays and Boston Red Sox, third baseman Rafael Devers crushed a ball off reliever J.P. Feyereisen to right field with nearly identical metrics (105.5 EV, 49 LA) to France's fly ball that ricocheted off the catwalk and back towards the infield for a standup double. 

Regardless of the game-alerting ruling in Saturday's thriller, Milwaukee still needed one more out to close out the night. 

With the tying run on first, Megill got Jackson Merrill to line out to right field, ending the game and earning his first save of the playoffs. 

For Milwaukee, it was a grinding win led by five scoreless innings from the bullpen after flamethrowing starter Jacob Misioroski, who opened the game with a 104.8 mph fastball to Fernando Tatis Jr., surrendered two runs in four innings while striking out six.

Chourio, the dynamic star who made the catch on France's towering fly ball, provided one of Milwaukee's biggest swings with a game-tying two-run homer in the third inning off Padres left-handed starter Robbie Ray — proving to be a difference maker in the Brewers' 3-2 win.

For San Diego? A heartbreaking loss that can alert the course of red-hot club that entered the NLDS having won 19 of its last 22 games.

The 103-win Brewers will have a chance to take a commanding 2-0 lead on Sunday afternoon while San Diego looks to respond and send the series back to Petco Park tied at one game apiece. 

Michael King will get the ball in Game 2 for San Diego, while Milwaukee counters with left-hander Logan Henderson.