Roof keeps Ty France's ball in play as Brewers take NLDS Game 1 from Padres

Ty France's ninth-inning drive struck the roof in Milwaukee, stayed live and became an out, denying San Diego a late lead in NLDS Game 1 and sparking talk of a franchise curse.

The Milwaukee Brewers beat the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Saturday night, and the pivotal moment involved the ballpark's roof. Ty France hit a ball that seemed certain to give San Diego the lead, only for it to strike the roof, remain live and turn into an out.

The play came in the top of the ninth inning. Because the ball never left the field of play after its contact with the roof, Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio could pursue it, and he completed the catch near the warning track. The umpiring crew signaled an out rather than a home run, and Milwaukee kept its advantage.

People around the game have weighed in on the sequence, among them Doug McKain, a writer who covers the Los Angeles Dodgers. "The Padres might really be a cursed franchise," McKain posted, adding that the ball "is going out" and that San Diego "would've taken a 4-3 lead in the 9th."

San Diego challenged the call, but the stadium's ground rules left no room for a reversal. Under those provisions, a fair batted ball that touches the roof, a roof truss or a roof cable counts as in play, a point USA Today's Jesse Yomtov emphasized while noting that Milwaukee's home park handed the Brewers a colossal slice of good fortune that protected their lead.

However much the decision stung, the umpiring crew applied the rule as written. San Diego simply finished on the unfavorable side of a regulation attached to its opponent's home venue, which may explain why the night carried a cursed feel for the Padres.

The ending contrasted sharply with the direction of San Diego's season. The Padres have the talent to contend but needed time to click, and they have played as well as anyone in baseball in recent weeks. They arrived at this round fresh from sweeping the Chicago Cubs, a series they dominated throughout.

ESPN's Alden Gonzalez captured the mood of that surge, writing that for the second time in six days the Padres' clubhouse featured beer, champagne and booming reggaeton. He observed that roles have become set, with Manny Machado handling the dousing, Fernando Tatis Jr. the dancing and Walker Buehler the funnel, and described a club "in continual ascension."

Attention now turns to Sunday, when the Padres get their opportunity to respond. Their objective is to level the series in Game 2, ideally without another inning coming down to a baseball's collision with the roof.

San Diego and Milwaukee meet again Sunday, October 4, at American Family Field in Milwaukee. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 PM EDT, and the game airs on FS1.