Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images
The San Diego Padres get into the faces of the umpires following their Game 3 Wild Card loss to the Chicago Cubs, which knocked them out of the postseason. The Padres were raging about a blown strike call on Xander Bogaerts that punched the All-Star infielder out instead of sending him to first base.
The San Diego Padres — who were many analysts pick to win the World Series this season, such as ESPN’s Buster Olney — fell to the Chicago Cubs in the three-game Wild Card round series following their 3-1 loss on Thursday, October 2.
The game wasn’t without controversy, however, as umpire D.J. Reyburn blew a strike call that proved to be a massive momentum-shifting moment in the inning after leadoff batter Jackson Merrill launched a home run to cut the Cubs’ lead to 2 with zero outs in the 9th inning.
Reyburn’s blown strike call, instead of sending Bogaerts to first with zero outs, sent the 33-year-old back to the dugout for the first out. The next two Cubs batters were then hit by pitches, which put the winning run at the plate before the comeback ultimately fell short.
BRUTAL strike three call on Xander Bogaerts would’ve been ball four pic.twitter.com/h7aiAqNleN
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) October 3, 2025
San Diego Padres players and coaches had to be held back from confronting the umpires after blown strike call in 9th inning
After the game, the Padres weren’t shy about letting the umpires know how they felt as they got in their faces and screamed at them as they were walking off the field.
Yo holy shit #Padres reaction after the game to the umpires pic.twitter.com/Mw6475vUd2
— kyler (@padsfanatic) October 3, 2025
The brutal and crucial blown call is a clear example of why MLB will be introducing the ABS (automated ball-strike) system next season, as the league simply cannot afford to have incompetent umpires blowing games for teams.
With their win over the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card round, the Cubs have advanced to the NLDS, where they will face off against their NL Central rival Milwaukee Brewers in the best-of-five NLDS on Saturday.