Padres Lose NLDS Game 1 in Controversial Fashion After Brewers' Roof Robs Potential Home Run

The San Diego Padres lost Game 1 of the National League Division Series, 3-2, in an intense battle with the top-seeded Milwaukee Brewers.

The game was tight all night long, and in the top of the ninth inning, the Padres were robbed of a potential home run by the American Family Field roof.

Padres first baseman Ty France hit what looked like a go-ahead, two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning with San Diego down 3-2.

However, the ball hit the top of the closed roof at American Family Field, and fell into the glove of left fielder Jackson Chourio.

Oh. My. Goodness.

This ball hit by France looked to potentially be a go-ahead home run, but it hit the roof and was caught, and was ruled an out. pic.twitter.com/E6pnoausP7
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 4, 2026

The Padres challenged the call, but to no avail. It was called an out, and the next batter, Jackson Merrill, lined out to end the game.

Brewers closer Trevor Megill, who earned the save on Saturday night, was asked for his thoughts on the controversial play.

“At first, it was ‘Oh crap’. And then the home plate umpire came up and said it was live no matter what," Megill said on the FOX Sports 1 broadcast after the game.

"Four years in this stadium, I’ve never seen that before. Just glad it worked in our favor there.”

Craig Stammen's Reaction to Ty France's Near Home Run

After the game, Padres manager Craig Stammen told reporters that they joked about this exact scenario in the umpires meeting before the game. However, they didn't think it would actually happen.

“We joked about it at the umpire meeting today about what would happen if the ball hit the roof. It’s unlikely, but it happened," Stammen 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, then it’s a foul ball. They ruled that it hit the roof fair, and the outfielder caught it.

“So unfortunately, it was a bad break for us. It looked like it was a possible home run. Just didn’t go our way.”

Why Was Ty France's Hit Not a Home Run?

According to MLB rules, if a ball hits the roof in fair territory and comes down, it is considered a live ball.

According to the American Family Field ground rules: "Batted ball strikes roof, roof truss, roof cable or any cabling over fair territory, [ball is] in play. If caught by fielder, batter is out, and runners advance at own risk."

However: "Batted ball strikes roof, roof truss, roof cable or any cabling over foul territory, [it is a] dead ball."

Ty France’s potential go-ahead HR in the ninth hit the roof in Milwaukee and was caught by Jackson Chourio. The umpires ruled it an out.

Milwaukee would go on to get the final out and win the game. pic.twitter.com/fzS1VO6jO9
— ESPN (@espn) October 4, 2026

Why Was the Padres' Challenge Unsuccessful?

The Padres could only challenge whether the ball would have gone foul. If it would have gone foul, it would've been considered a dead ball, per the ground rules.

However, the ball was in fair territory when it hit the roof. Thus, the challenge was unsuccessful.

I can't remember a fly ball striking the roof cable at Miller Park/AmFam Field that deep. Might've saved a homer for the Brewers. Ground rule says this: pic.twitter.com/mawAbz3Y6w
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) October 4, 2026

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