UPDATE: San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts has voiced his frustration over a controversial call during the ninth inning of the National League Wild Card Series against the Chicago Cubs on October 5, 2023. Bogaerts struck out on a pitch that appeared to miss the strike zone, a moment he believes cost his team a chance to rally.
The game was tightly contested, with the Cubs leading 3-0 heading into the final inning. However, momentum shifted when Jackson Merrill hit a home run off pitcher Brad Keller, narrowing the score to 3-1. Bogaerts, facing a crucial 3-2 count, was struck by disbelief when Keller’s fastball seemed to fall below the strike zone, leading to a strikeout that frustrated both him and manager Mike Shildt.
“It’s a ball. Messed up the whole game, you know?”
Bogaerts expressed his disappointment after the game, emphasizing the impact of the missed call. “Thank God for ABS next year, because this is terrible,” he said, referencing the upcoming implementation of the automated ball-strike system, which aims to enhance fairness in officiating.
The automated system will allow teams to challenge calls they believe are incorrect starting in the 2024 MLB season. The decision was confirmed by the MLB competition committee last month, granting teams two challenges per game.
Following the controversial strikeout, the Cubs were able to close out the game, preventing the Padres from capitalizing on their momentum. With two runners on base and one out, Andrew Kittredge took the mound, successfully retiring the next two batters to secure the victory for Chicago.
This loss marks a bitter end to a commendable 90-win season for San Diego, which reached the playoffs for the fourth time in six years but has yet to progress past the NL Championship Series during this recent stretch. “We had a lot of fun,” Bogaerts reflected. “We competed with each other. We had guys that got injuries, a lot of guys stepped up.”
As the baseball world anticipates the roll-out of the ABS system, fans and players alike are eager to see if it will indeed resolve contentious calls like the one that marred this pivotal playoff game.
Stay tuned as we continue to monitor the fallout from this game and the upcoming changes in MLB officiating.