Any other stadium and the San Diego Padres might be leading in their National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Padres were trailing 3-2 in the ninth inning of Game 1 on Saturday when Ty France sent a rocket into left fieldthat appeared to have the proper trajectory and velocity for a two-run home run. The ball's launch angle, however, was a problem.
France hit the ball so unbelievably high it hit a cable in the ceiling of American Family Field, sending it back towards the field of play where Jackson Chourio caught it for anything but a routine second out. One batter later, closer Trevor Megill slammed the door shut and the game was over.
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
Some fans are wondering how France could be ruled out on a ball that hit the roof. Even if he couldn't be awarded a home run, why wasn't it ruled a dead ball? The answer lies in the ballpark's ground rules, which say:
- Batted ball striking roof, roof truss or roof cable over fair territory: In Play
- If caught by fielder, batter is out and runners advance at own risk.
- Batted ball striking roof, roof truss or roof cable over foul territory: Dead Ball
Umpires reviewed the play to determine whether it would have been foul, which would have resulted in a dead ball, but they determined the ball stayed in fair territory. It was a heads up play by Chourio to stay with it and make the catch.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why Ty France's near-home run in Padres' playoff loss was ruled out after hitting roof?
