Ty France launched a fly ball deep into the night sky of Milwaukee’s American Family Field on Saturday, only to see it bounce off the ceiling railing and fall into the glove of Brewers left fielder Jackson Chourio. The moment came in the ninth inning of Game 1 of the National League Division Series, with the Brewers clinging to a 3-2 lead and Trevor Megill on the mound for a four-out save.
With one out and a runner on base, France’s towering hit looked like it might clear the fences for a go-ahead home run. Instead, it struck a railing above fair territory and stayed in play. After the ball hit the ceiling, Chourio caught it for the second out of the inning. Padres manager Craig Stammen challenged the call, but the replay review upheld it, confirming that the ball was live and fair.
Fox Sports noted that the ball might have been a home run if not for the roof, but the American Family Field’s ground rules do not allow for a home run to be awarded if the ball hits the roof. The rules state that a ball striking the roof, roof truss, or cable over fair territory remains in play, meaning it can be caught for an out. If the ball hits the roof over foul territory, it is a dead ball.
Stammen told reporters after the game that the Padres had discussed the possibility of a ball hitting the roof in the pregame umpire meeting. “We joked about it at the umpire meeting today, about what would happen if the ball hit the roof. It was unlikely, but it happened,” he said. “The rule is if they deem the ball to be fair and it comes down, you can catch it. If it hits off the roof foul, it’s a foul ball. They ruled that it hit the roof fair and the outfielder caught it. Unfortunately, it’s a bad break for us. It looked like it was a possible home run. Just didn’t go our way.”
The impact of the ruling was immediate. The Padres lost a chance to take the lead in a tight playoff game. France was out, and the Brewers were just one out away from securing the win.
The debate among players and analysts after the game focused on whether France’s fly ball would have cleared the fence in an open-air stadium. MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell reported there was a postgame consensus that the ball would likely have been a home run without the roof. Brewers manager Pat Murphy referenced a lighter explanation, attributing the ball’s unusual trajectory to the intervention of late Brewers legend Bob Uecker. “Ueck decided to put a hand on it,” Murphy joked.
Statcast data paints a more complex picture. France’s hit registered a 105.3 mph exit velocity and a 49-degree launch angle. While those numbers indicate a hard-hit ball, MLB’s data shows that balls with that combination of speed and angle rarely become home runs. The batting average on balls with a 49-degree launch angle this season was just .038, suggesting that most such balls end harmlessly in the outfield.
Megill, who faced France on that at-bat, admitted his own surprise. After the game, he said his reaction to the fly ball was “Oh crap.” Still, the statistical evidence makes it hard to say the Padres were robbed by the roof’s presence rather than simply by the luck of the moment.
The ball striking the ceiling was an unusual twist in a game filled with tension and drama. The ruling left the Padres facing a deficit as they prepare for Game 2, scheduled for Sunday at 4 p.m. ET in Milwaukee. The Brewers took a 1-0 lead in the series as the sun set on a night when steel, not just skill, played a decisive role.
According to Yahoo Sports.
