The Philadelphia Phillies organization and fans are still upset following the team's elimination from the postseason at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the NLDS. The Phillies dropped their final game of the season 2-1 in a tight 11-inning contest after Game 4 starter Cristopher Sánchez pitched another gem.
It looks like the Dodgers never should have scored their first run of the game, however.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer's Lochlahn March, home plate umpire Mark Wegner apologized to Sánchez for a crucial error on his part that gave the Dodgers momentum and directly led to the defending World Series champions tying the game in the seventh inning.
Crucial missed strike call cost Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies in Game 4 of NLDS
With one out in the bottom of the seventh and a 2-2 count on Alex Call, Sánchez threw a crisp 97 mph sinker on the inner edge of the plate. It was a strike but was called a ball, extending the at-bat. Call ended up walking and scoring the tying run later in the inning when Jhoan Duran walked Mookie Betts with the bases loaded.
Sánchez and catcher J.T. Realmuto both thought the pitch was a strike. Everyone watching on TV knew it was a strike and should have been the second out of the inning, and Sánchez let Wegner know it with a stare of disbelief. Wegner apologized to Sánchez for the bad call, the Phillies' left-hander said after the game.
Cristopher Sánchez said the umpire apologized to him for missing this call.
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) October 10, 2025
Alex Call went on to score the tying run after he walked on the next pitch.
(Via: @Lochlahn)pic.twitter.com/exLM2si1UA
The Phillies may have still gone on to lose the game, but who knows after this revelation? Fans and the local media will be further exasperated following this news.
While referees and umpires make poor decisions and miss calls all the time, Wegner's mistake changed the course of a tight game, forcing it into extra innings. The Phillies may have hung on to a 1-0 lead to win the contest and force a Game 5 in Philadelphia.
However, we'll never know. The Phillies may have still lost that game due to their ongoing struggles offensively and in the bullpen that they showed at home in Games 1 and 2. The club did not look sharp in three out of the four NLDS contests. But fans should still be irritated at Wegner, though, because of how the game unfolded following his mistake.