The San Diego Padres suffered a 3-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of the National League Division Series. However, a bizarre ninth-inning play involving Ty France quickly became the biggest talking point of the night and prompted an honest explanation from Padres manager Craig Stammen.

Following the loss, Stammen provided clarity on what happened during the unusual sequence and explained the ground rule that governs balls hitting the roof at American Family Field.

“We joked about it at the umpire meeting today about what would happen if the ball hit the roof. And it was unlikely, but it happened,” Stammen said.

“The rule is if they deem the ball to be fair and it comes down, you can catch it. If it hits off the roof foul, then it’s a foul ball. They ruled that it hit the roof fair, and the outfielder caught it. So unfortunately, it was a bad break for us. It looked like it was a possible home run. Just didn’t go our way.”

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With the Padres trailing by one run in the top of the ninth inning, France appeared to hit a potential go-ahead home run with a runner on first and one out. Instead, the ball struck a cable attached to the roof at American Family Field before dropping into the glove of Brewers left fielder Jackson Chourio.

The bizarre sequence turned what initially appeared to be a potentially game-changing hit into an out, and left the Padres with very little time to respond.

San Diego challenged the ruling in an attempt to overturn the call, but the decision was ultimately upheld, allowing Milwaukee to escape with a Game 1 victory in this best-of-five playoff series.

The Padres will now attempt to put the bizarre ending behind them as they prepare for Game 2. However, France’s unusual fly ball will likely remain one of the most memorable and strange moments of the 2026 MLB postseason.