With Game 1 of the National League Division Series on the line, chaos ensued at American Family Field. With a runner on first base in the top of the ninth inning Saturday night, Padres first baseman Ty France hit a high fly ball to left field off Brewers closer Trevor Megill. The ball struck the cables in the rafters of the ballpark.
It then landed right in the glove of left fielder Jackson Chourio. France got under the ball and left the bat at a 49-degree launch angle, which is way above the average. He made good contact with it, though, at a 105-mile-an-hour exit velocity.
"It seemed like that ball was going to land in San Diego," David Ortiz said on the FS1 post-game show. The call on the field was that France was out. Almost immediately, Padres manager Craig Stammen challenged the call.
Crew chief Alfonso Marquez confirmed that the call on the field that the ball was fair. That call was confirmed, and France was out. Here's what the rules are, according to MLB.com reporter Adam McCalvy: With that, the ball France hit remained in play.
"Four years in this stadium, I've never seen that before," Megill told FOX's Tom Verducci after the game. That was the second out of the inning, and Megill got the next batter, Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill, to fly out and seal the victory for Milwaukee. Milwaukee faced a 2-0 deficit early in the game before Chourio delivered a two-run home run in the third inning and catcher William Contreras hit a seventh-inning solo shot for the lead and the win.
