The Chicago Cubs held off a ninth-inning rally attempt from the San Diego Padres to win Game 3 of the National League Wild Card Series and advance to the NLDS. And a call from home-plate umpire D.J. Reyburn certainly helped the Cubs secure the series victory at Wrigley Field.
Trailing 3-0, San Diego led off the ninth inning with a solo homer from Jackson Merrill against Cubs reliever Brad Keller.
It appeared that the Padres were set to bring the tying run to the plate when Xander Bogaerts took a 3-2 pitch below the strike zone in the plate appearance that followed the Merrill homer. However, Reyburn called the pitch strike three instead of ball four for the first out of the inning.
A HORRIBLE strike three call against the Padres from umpire D.J. Reyburn.
The Padres went on to lose 3-1 to the Cubs in Game 3 of the Wild Card series, leaving runners on second and third to end it.
Kevin Brown with the play-by-play call for ESPN. ⚾️👮♂️🎙️ #MLB pic.twitter.com/1Hwik1ISKc
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 3, 2025
The ESPN broadcast crew of Kevin Brown, Ben McDonald, and Jessica Mendoza was as stunned by the call as Bogaerts and Padres manager Mike Shildt.
“D.J. Reyburn just bailed out Keller, and Bogaerts knows it,” Brown said.
“Next year, that is a hat tap in a millisecond,” Brown continued, referencing the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System that will arrive for the 2026 Major League Baseball season.
“That will definitely be a hat-tapper next year,” McDonald agreed.
“Not a strike,” Mendoza said. “And honestly, a great take. This is a full-count take below the zone. To be able to spit on this pitch is a great at-bat; he should be on first base. That is not close.”
“Credit to (Cubs catcher) Carson Kelly for framing it, but a huge, huge break for the Cubs,” Brown said. “They won’t complain; they get the first out.”
“You’re right, K.B.,” McDonald responded after watching an ump cam replay of the pitch. “Carson Kelly might have stolen that one.”
The call looked even more significant after the inning played out. After the Bogaerts strikeout, Keller hit two batters in a row before being replaced by Andrew Kittredge, who stranded runners at second and third to close out the 3-1 Cubs victory.
Here was the final out, sending the Cubs to the NLDS.
Kevin Brown with the call for ESPN. ⚾️🎙️ #MLB pic.twitter.com/YtW2wuOwtD https://t.co/8PxVX5yCWV
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 3, 2025
Two questionable replay reviews went in the Padres’ favor earlier in the game, so the officiating played a part in frustrating each side. But that 3-2 call in the ninth inning of a winner-take-all postseason game is especially rough. At least the ABS will help with such moments next year, but that won’t make the Padres and their fans feel any better now.
The Cubs will take on the Milwaukee Brewers in an NL Central showdown in the NLDS.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.