‘Bad break for us’: Why Ty France’s potential go-ahead HR being ruled an out was the right call

The Brewers' Game 1 win over the Padres in the NLDS didn't come without some controversy.

In the top of the ninth inning, for a moment, it appeared Padres first baseman Ty France had gotten enough off a Trevor Megill fastball to give San Diego the lead with a go-ahead home run. Instead, France's shot hit a cable on the roof of the ballpark.

The ball lost all momentum, falling down and into the glove of left fielder Jackson Chourio, ultimately reviewed and confirmed as an out. While it was a difficult result for the Padres, based on MLB rules, the call was correct.

Here's why umpires got the France home-run call right.

Why Ty France's potential go-ahead HR being ruled an out was the right call

France's swing came with a runner on in a 3-2 game with the Brewers leading — had it gone over the fences, San Diego would have taken the lead into the bottom of the ninth inning.

Instead, France watched as the ball hit a cable on the roof and dropped back into play:

MLB rules defer to each ballpark's ground rules in instances like France's. At American Family Field, the ground rules state the following:

A batted ball that strikes roof, roof truss or roof cable over fair territory is considered in play

If the ball is then caught by fielder, the batter is out and runners advance at their own risk

A batted ball that strikes roof, roof truss or roof cable over foul territory is considered a dead ball

The umpires looked at the play in Game 1 after a Padres challenge, agreeing that the ball hit the roof cable in fair territory, meaning it was in play still and Chourio's catch was an out. For San Diego, there was no argument to be made, simply coming out on the wrong end of an unlucky situation.

"We joked about it at the umpire meeting today about what would happen if the ball hit the roof," Padres manager Craig Stammen said postgame, per CBS . "And it was unlikely, but it happened. The rule is, if they deemed 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. So they ruled that it hit the roof fair and the outfielder caught it.

"Unfortunately a bad break for us. Looked like it was a possible home run. Just didn't go our way. Second time that's happened this year to the Padres. We should be able to bounce back just fine from it."

Whether France's shot would have been a home run if it wasn't stopped by the roof is another question. The ball's path would have only been a home run at the Astros' Daikin Park: