Brewers Take NLDS Game 1 3-2 as Ty France's Ninth-Inning Drive Hits Roof Cable

Q: Did a stadium ceiling cable rob the Padres of a crucial playoff home run, or just save a foul ball?

The umpires appear to have made the correct call, and the available data suggests Ty France’s ball was unlikely to have been a home run anyway. At American Family Field, the pregame ground rules cover this exact scenario: if a batted ball strikes the roof, truss or cable above fair territory, it remains a live ball. If it is over foul territory, it is dead. In this case, the crew ruled the ball hit the overhead structure in fair territory, and San Diego’s challenge was denied. That made Jackson Chourio’s catch in left field a legal out. The play looked dramatic because the ball changed direction after contact with the cable or roof structure, and several players said it was nearly impossible to judge in real time. Trevor Megill said it looked foul off the bat, while France said he thought it had a chance to leave the park. Brewers manager Pat Murphy argued the opposite, saying he believed it was heading foul. Statcast gives the clearest evidence against the home-run argument. France hit the ball at 105.3 mph with a 49-degree launch angle, and after the deflection it traveled 325 feet. Broader Statcast history strongly undercuts the idea that it was a likely homer: no ball in the Statcast era with roughly that combination of exit velocity and a 49-degree launch angle has become a home run, and estimates indicated it would have left the yard in only one MLB park. So the controversy is understandable, but by rule and by data, the decision stands on firm ground.

3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Oct 4

A ninth-inning drive by Ty France that appeared to threaten a go-ahead homer struck a roof cable over fair territory at American Family Field and dropped into Jackson Chourio's glove for the second out.
Umpires confirmed the call after San Diego challenged only whether the ball hit above fair or foul ground; under the stadium's ground rules, any fair ball hitting the roof or attached objects remains live.
Milwaukee then closed out a 3-2 win for a 1-0 NLDS lead after erasing a 2-0 deficit, with Chourio's two-run homer tying the game and William Contreras' seventh-inning solo shot putting the Brewers ahead.
France said the 105.3 mph, 49-degree drive was 'game-changing,' while Padres players and manager Craig Stammen argued technology should help judge such rare plays; Brewers manager Pat Murphy insisted the ball was curving foul.
The loss was San Diego's first of the postseason after its wild-card sweep of the Cubs, and Game 2 is set for Sunday with Michael King facing rookie Logan Henderson.