The Padres dropped a winner-take-all Game 3 in the National League wild-card series to the Cubs on Thursday night. And while the Padres' ninth-inning rally fell just short, the club may be left stewing all winter long about a different moment.
After a leadoff home run from Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill cut the Cubs' lead to 3-1, shortstop Xander Bogaerts stepped up to the plate. Working the count full, Bogaerts took a 3-2 fastball on the lower outer half of the plate, a pitch he surely felt was ball four. But home-plate umpire D.J. Reyburn called it strike three, leaving Bogaerts incensed.
