The Minnesota Twins may not be in the postseason, but we at least have several former Twins to root for during the playoffs. One of them is San Diego Padres first baseman Ty France, who unfortunately fell victim to the Milwaukee Brewers' roof in an NLDS Game 1 loss on Saturday.
With one out and a runner on first base, the Padres trailed 3-2 in the ninth inning at American Family Field when France hit a deep fly ball that struck a cable on the roof and fell in fair territory for left fielder Jackson Chourio to make an easy catch.
A WILD 9th inning in Milwaukee
— MLB (@MLB) October 4, 2026
Ty France hit a ball off the roof and it landed in Jackson Chourio's glove for the out 😮 pic.twitter.com/8g8w057z9c
It's unclear whether it would've been a home run in an outdoor stadium, but it certainly would've been close.
"You'd think with all the technology & data & everything we have now, you'd be able to make a clear call...that shouldn't be an out," France said to reporters postgame.
France hit the ball at 105 mph with a 49-degree launch angle. Given those dimensions, the ball most likely would've still been caught without a roof. However, it still could've gone out. Dallas Braden of Baseball is Dead pointed out that Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson hit a ball at 110 MPH with a 49-degree launch angle that went over the fence in fair territory earlier this year.
Following France's out, Jackson Merrill lined out sharply to right fielder Luis Lara, securing the win for the Brewers. Game 2 of the NLDS between Milwaukee and San Diego is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. CDT on Sunday.
Ty France has surprisingly broken out with Padres after below-average season with Twins, Blue Jays
The Twins signed France to a one-year, $1 million contract in the 2024-25 offseason. France posted 0.8 bWAR and a .678 OPS with six home runs and 44 RBI over 101 games with Minnesota.
The Twins traded France to the Toronto Blue Jays as part of the Louis Varland deal at the 2025 trade deadline. France had a .693 OPS over 37 games with Toronto. He went 1-for-4 in the World Series before hitting free agency.
While France's offensive numbers weren't great last year, his defensive metrics improved significantly, earning him a Gold Glove Award.
Due to his poor performance at the plate last year, France had to settle for a minor-league deal with San Diego. He made the Padres' Opening Day roster and, surprisingly, became their most valuable player this year according to bWAR (4.5). He slashed .295/.363/.502 with 21 home runs and 72 RBI over 133 regular-season games while playing spectacular defense. In the 2026 playoffs, France has gone 5-for-12 with a double so far.
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