The San Diego Padres had a chance to catch the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West but fell short. They had a chance to catch the Chicago Cubs and earn home-field advantage for the NL Wild Card Series but fell short. And on Thursday night, the Friars had a chance to rally in the ninth inning and take Game 3 in unforgettable fashion, but they fell short and are now heading home for the offseason. Missed opportunities sum up the end of a once promising 2025 campaign.
But a potentially missed call could have provided the Padres with one more chance to extend their October run. Trailing 3-1 in the top of the ninth inning, and directly following a lead-off Jackson Merrill home run, Xander Bogaerts struck out looking on a full count. The last pitch of the at-bat was ostensibly below the strike zone and was certainly outside the box that ESPN was using during the broadcast. The veteran shortstop was dumbfounded after the call.
Cubs right-hander Brad Keller completely unraveled following this sequence, recording consecutive hit by pitches to put Chicago in a precarious position. Manager Craig Counsell swapped him out for trade deadline acquisition Andrew Kittredge, and the team ultimately escaped with a 3-1 win and a ticket to the NL Division Series.
Bogaerts, who was still processing San Diego's season-ending loss, voiced his frustrations about the aforementioned called strike three and expressed his gratitude that a new system will soon take effect.
“Talk about it now: What do you want me to do?” the five-time Silver Slugger and four-time All-Star told reporters after Game 3, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune, via ESPN. “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.”
Padres' downfall goes a little deeper than just one call
MLB is implementing the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System starting in 2026, which will afford teams the opportunity to get an incorrect umpire call overturned. Bogaerts obviously wishes it was already in operation at the big-league level. He and the rest of the Padres will be forced to wonder what could have been if a walk was dished out instead of a critical strikeout. It should be noted that many umps take issue with the television-used strike zone, claiming it to be inaccurate.
In fact, Baseball Savant, which is owned by MLB, shows the much-discussed four-seam fastball to Xander Bogaerts catching the corner of home plate in its pitching chart. Many fans will object and argue that the ball was below the two-time World Series champion's knees, but there is nothing that will be done now. San Diego can only hope that ABS will work in its favor the next time a similar situation arises.
Padres skipper Mike Shildt had a heated exchange with the umpires as they passed the team's dugout at the end of the game, illustrating the emotional temperature of the losing club. Although the final frame could have unfolded quite differently if Bogaerts headed to first base with no outs, San Diego had other glaring issues that thrust it into unfavorable circumstances.
Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr., the franchise's two biggest stars, batted .100 and .083 in the series, respectively, and were a combined 0-for-7 in this do-or-die clash in Wrigley Field. The Padres as a whole left men stranded in scoring position throughout. MLB is seeking to improve, and so must this franchise.
