Padres' Xander Bogaerts Goes Off on Umpire After Missed Call in 9th Inning of Wild Card Loss

Sep 30, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; 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. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts slammed the NL Wild Card Series' home plate umpire for Game 3, D.J. Reyburn, after a brutal missed call in the top of the ninth which may have cost the Padres their season.

Center fielder Jackson Merrill led the top of the ninth inning off with a solo home run to cut the Padres deficit to two, and Xander Boagerts directly followed him to the plate. Bogaerts took a pitch low in a full count, and Reyburn called him out on strikes.

The Padres went on to lose the game, having runners on second and third when Freddy Fermin popped out to center to end the game.

“Talk about it now: what do you want me to do?” Bogaerts said. “It’s a ball. Messed up the whole game, you know? I mean, can’t go back in time and talking about it now won’t change anything. So it was bad, and thank God for ABS next year, because this is terrible.”

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Manager Mike Shildt took Bogaerts' side on the matter, and defended the ordinarily calm figure.

"Looked down to me," said Shildt. "You know, but I don't see great, and I am kind of far away. But most importantly, Bogey felt like he was down. He is not a guy -- you know, not any of our guys really, but Bogey in particular is not a guy that's overly dramatic about close pitches. It's a big pitch. It's a big swing pitch. You know, it turns the tying run and what would have unfolded after that could have been very impactful, but we had other opportunities, too."

The Padres managed runners in scoring position in five of nine innings in yesterday's game, however were unable to capitalize in any of the positions they put themselves in. They scored just five runs against the Cubs across the three-game series.

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With their season now over, the Padres need to address the holes in their lineup, with many stars projected to leave the team during free agency. They'll hope to land some capable replacements so they can string another postseason campaign together in 2026, which would mark the first time the Padres have made three consecutive playoff appearances.

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