MLB says the umpires may have called a foul on a foul ball during the ninth inning of the Padres-Cubs game.
Major League Baseball made the unusual decision Tuesday afternoon to address a controversial interview during Monday night’s game between the San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs.
Padres closer Mason Miller, who has been out for the 2026 regular season, entered the game with his team leading 9-5. At 1-1, Cubs outfielder Matt Shaw hit a weak dribbler down the third-base line that teetered on the edge of fairy or evil.
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Padres third baseman Ty France tried to wait for the ball to roll into foul territory, which it appeared, at least from camera angles, to do. While one half hovered over the foul line, most of the ball seemed to be in foul territory. But home plate umpire Dan Merzel, who was over the game, called it fair.
Petco Park fans, and Padres manager Craig Stammen, were not happy. And Major League Baseball has addressed these concerns, admitting a mistake was made.
Mason Miller of the San Diego Padres reacts after hitting Alex Bregman of the Chicago Cubs to end the game at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif., on April 27, 2026. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Major League Baseball appears to be saying the umpires didn’t get the controversial call
Athletic’s Dennis Lin, who oversees the Padres, contacted the organization’s office to get an explanation for the call on the field. And the league’s response seems to contradict Merzel’s dominance.
Lin said the league pointed him to the Umpire Manual, which says the ball must “make contact” with fair ground to not be considered foul.
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“When making contact with the ground, the ball must touch a fair ground and not just a fair ground to be judged fair.”
San Diego Padres third baseman Ty France reacts as umpire Dan Merzel rules out a single hit by Chicago Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw during the ninth inning at Petco Park in San Diego, California, on April 27, 2026. (Photos by Denis Poroy/Imagn)
Although it has not said that the call was a complete mistake, that response seems to indicate that the unit is not comfortable with the call on the field. And it’s not difficult to judge only by camera angles. The cameras have a different perspective than the referee on the ground, who couldn’t be in a better position. Many comments on social media felt that this decision was in line with the official rules of this division, and the precedent set for similar games and calls.
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For his part, France thought it was a foul, telling the media after the game, “It stopped rolling, and I thought it was a mistake, but they said otherwise.”
Freddy Fermin and Gavin Sheets approach the mound while Mason Miller looks on during the ninth inning of the game between the San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif., on April 27, 2026. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Shaw came up to score, ending Miller’s 34 ⅔ scoreless innings, but after a short rally, Miller and the Padres went on to win 9-7. Miller was short and to the point where he replied, “The Padres are winning,” he said. “That’s what matters at the end of the day.”
