Padres Confront Umpires in Dugout After Brutal Call in Wild Card Game 3

San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts (2) slides safely into third base after a throwing error made by the Chicago Cubs in the second inning during game one of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Wrigley Field on Tuesday. | David Banks-Imagn Images

When home plate umpire D.J. Reyburn rang up Xander Bogaerts on a called strike three for the first out of the ninth inning in Game 3 of the National League Wild Card series Thursday, Brad Keller's pitch didn't miss by much. The 97.5-mph fastball looked like it nipped the bottom of the strike zone, according to Statcast.

But Statcast doesn't adjust for a batter's height. As J.J. Cooper of Baseball America pointed out, the pitch would've been overturned by ABS — the automatic ball-strike challenge system that will go into effect next season.

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Cooper goes on to note that MLB's rulebook similarly asks umpires to adjust the height of their strike zone to reflect the batter's height. Per MLB.com: "The strike zone is that area over home plate the upper limit of which is a horizontal line at the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants, and the lower level is a line at the hollow beneath the kneecap. The Strike Zone shall be determined from the batter’s stance as the batter is prepared to swing at a pitched ball."

Several Padres players apparently brought their rulebooks and had them handy as the umpires exited the field through the visitors' dugout at Wrigley Field following the Cubs' 3-1 win.

Yo holy shit #Padres reaction after the game to the umpires pic.twitter.com/Mw6475vUd2

— kyler (@padsfanatic) October 3, 2025

A fan's video posted to Twitter/X showed several Padres players shoving their way toward the umpires after the game ended, ostensibly still aggrieved by the called strike three on Bogaerts. Manager Mike Shildt and a uniformed escort rushed in to separate the angry players from the exiting umps.

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For context, the umpires didn't have much choice when leaving the field. Wrigley Field is more than a century old, by far the oldest park in the National League. Unlike newer venues, Wrigley offers no way for the umpires to retreat to and from their locker room without going through a dugout (or the stands).

Maybe the Cubs' dugout wasn't an option, or maybe the umpires did not expect the Padres to make their grudge known as they passed through the first-base dugout. Either way, it was a bad look for the players involved — if not an unexpected one. Any players suspended for their actions toward an umpire after the final out of their season would not miss a game until next year. The threat of discipline was toothless.

The Padres weren't wrong. Reyburn made a bad call. Unfortunately for all involved, he made it in a critical juncture in a win-or-go-home game. Had Bogaerts walked, perhaps the inning — and the Padres' season — would have ended differently.

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.