The National League Division Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies might have gone to a decisive Game 5 if not for a controversial missed call by home plate umpire Mark Wegner in the seventh inning — a mistake he later admitted and apologized for to Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez.
With a 2-2 count against Dodgers outfielder Alex Call, Sanchez delivered a pitch that appeared to clip the inside corner according to replays. However, Wegner ruled it a ball, leading to a walk instead of a potential strikeout.
That missed call changed everything. Instead of two outs and no one on base, Enrique Hernández followed with a single, ending Sanchez’s night.
Reliever Jhoan Duran entered and got Andy Pages to ground out for the second out, but with Call now at third and Hernández at second, the situation grew tense. Duran intentionally walked Shohei Ohtani to load the bases for Mookie Betts — who drew another walk, forcing in Call and tying the game.
The Blown Call Changed Everything
If Wegner had made the correct strike call and punched out Call, the inning would have ended quietly — and that tying run never would’ve crossed the plate. In all likelihood, the Phillies would have held on for a 1-0 win, forcing a decisive Game 5 back in Philadelphia.
Instead, the Dodgers capitalized. In the bottom of the 11th, a throwing error by Orion Kerkering on a play at home allowed Hyeseong Kim to score the game-winning run, sealing the Dodgers’ series victory.
After the game, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Lochlahn March reported that Wegner personally apologized to Sanchez for the missed call, posting on X:
“Cristopher Sánchez said the umpire apologized to him for missing the 2-2 pitch to Alex Call in the seventh. What should have been a strikeout became a walk, and that runner went on to score the tying run.”
https://twitter.com/ArcainiLuke/status/1976441097477030054?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1976441097477030054%7Ctwgr%5E1aeea14116f0fd0d426b0f5c5a505391889a7e8f%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsportsnaut.com%2Fmlb%2Fumpire-call-impact-dodgers-phillies-nlds%2F
Had Major League Baseball implemented the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system for the 2025 season, the outcome might have been different. Instead, human error once again altered the course of a playoff game — and Sanchez paid the price for a call that shouldn’t have been missed.
Still, the Phillies’ offensive struggles were just as costly. Despite the controversy, their star trio of Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper went a combined 3-for-35 with 15 strikeouts in their three NLDS losses — a brutal performance that ultimately sealed Philadelphia’s fate.
