What would have been a go-ahead 2-run homer by the San Diego Padres’ Ty France in the top of the 9th inning in last night’s Padres-Brewers NLDS series opener was foiled by a cable in the retractable roof stadium at America Field Park. The huge fly ball (49 degree launch angle, the steepest ever recorded there) on the way over the fence in fair territory struck a cable and fell straight down into the waiting outfielder’s glove. By the ground rules in force, the ball was in play and it was an out. One batter later, the Brewers had won 3-2.
Batted balls used to hit parts of the roof a lot in the Ray’s awful park in St. Petersburg before its roof was repaired, but that’s because the beams, cables, catwalks and rails were too low (and too many). This had never happened in Milwaukee’s American Family Field to cost a team a home run before, and the former “Miller Park” opened 26 years ago.
Yet the only time a ball about to be a home run hit the roof happened in the 9th inning of a play-off game, saving the home team from a crushing loss! It could have happened in a mid-May game. It could have happened in the third inning of an 8-2 loss. It could have happened when the Brewers were playing an inter-league game against the Angels. The odds were that if the fluke were going to happen at all to any team, it would have happened TO the Brewers, since its their home field. And heck, the retractable roof could have been open, meaning that there wouldn’t have been anything for France’s ball to hit.
But no. The first and only time, this particular stroke of bad luck (well, good luck for the Brewers) happened on national TV, in a critical game. Meanwhile the Brewers, who had the best record in baseball, are trying to finally get back to the World Series for the first time since 1982.
Gotta hand it to the Padres; they milked 88 pitches out of Brewer fireballer Jacob “Le Miz” Miziorowski in a mere four (4) innings.
Given Milwaukee’s propensity to wilt like August lettuce in the post-season, I didn’t have a good feeling about the game, and fell asleep well before it was over.
Arising earlier than the usual~05:00 a.m., I was relieved to have the 1st story that popped up on the MSN home page allay my fears.
PWS
That ground rule is dumb. The only reasonable rule would provide that if a batted ball hits the roof (which shouldn’t be there), the play is dead. There used to be a power line across one of the fairways at the course here. The local rule provided that if your drive hit the power line or one of the poles, you simply re-teed without counting the previous stroke. Just because something is random doesn’t mean it isn’t still wrong and unfair. Stupid local rule, wrong result.