Inside The Mets

Ex-Mets manager blasts controversial World Series ruling

Former New York Mets manager Buck Showalter is not happy about a controversial moment from the World Series.
Grant Young|
Aug 17, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; New York Mets manager Buck Showalter (11) walks back to the dugout before a game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Aug 17, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; New York Mets manager Buck Showalter (11) walks back to the dugout before a game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

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New York MetsToronto Blue JaysLos Angeles Dodgers

An unfortunate and fateful moment occurred during the ninth inning of Game 6 of the 2025 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays.

Blue Jays hitter Addison Barger was at the plate in the bottom of the ninth with no outs and a runner on first base, with the Dodgers winning 3-1. He smacked a ball to left center field that ultimately got wedged in the bottom of the outfield wall. Rather than play the ball (which would seemingly have been as easy as removing it from beneath the wall), Dodgers outfielder Justin Dean raised both of his hands to indicate that the ball was unplayable. Once this was accepted by the game's umpires, Barger's hit was ruled a ground-rule double.

Because of this, Myles Straw, who was the runner on first base, had to stop at third rather than score, which we would have easily done if the ball hadn't been stuck. Therefore, the game remained 3-1 with runners on second and third.

Two hitters later, Blue Jays infielder Andres Gimenez hit a line drive to left field that Kike Hernandez caught and threw to second base, doubling Barger off and ending the game. This forced a winner-take-all Game 7 on November 1.

There's no way of knowing whether the game's outcome would have been different if the ground-rule double hadn't been called. What's for sure is that the ruling was controversial and has sparked a lot of discussion in the game's aftermath.

Buck Showalter Calls Out World Series Ground-Rule Double Ruling

What's for sure is that former New York Mets manager Buck Showalter (who ran the team in 2022 and 2023) did not agree with how this controversial play was called, which he made extremely clear during an October 31 appearance on Foul Territory.

“The Dodgers might win the whole World Series because a ball got stuck in the wedge,” Showalter said, per an X post from Foul Territory. “We got a multi-billion dollar industry; why can’t we get fields where stuff goes all the way to the bottom, and that can’t happen? We probably got a tie ballgame if that ball doesn’t get wedged in there eventually in that inning.”

New York Mets manager Buck Showalter (11) looks on from the dugout on September 20, 2023
Sep 20, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets manager Buck Showalter (11) looks on from the dugout during the eighth inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Showalter later added, "We used to be such sticklers about spring training, and making it safe. And I love the fact that [the wall is] padded. That's one that I just go, 'Wow, we shouldn’t have that as part of the elements.'"

Showalter certainly has a good point. It will be interesting to see whether any changes (either in the MLB rulebook or in the Blue Jays' current wall padding) come as a result of this controversial play.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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