ABS cannot get to the major league baseball level soon enough.

On Thursday, we got our first consequential blown call of the 2025 MLB Playoffs. With the Wild Card matchups wrapping up, the San Diego Padres were trailing the Chicago Cubs 3-0 in the ninth inning with Jackson Merrill set to lead off the frame. Merrill homered to cut the Cubs lead to two, then Xander Bogaerts stepped up to the plate in an attempt to keep the rally going. Bogaerts worked the count to 3-2 against Brad Keller, who was looking to avoid more damage and wrap up the tied three-game series with a Cubs victory.

Unfortunately, on the deciding pitch, Bogaerts was called out looking on strikes by umpire D.J. Reyburn on a ball that was not anywhere close to the zone. The call was incredibly consequential to the way the rest of the inning played out, as the next two batters reached base after being hit by Keller's pitches. If Bogaerts had been given the walk, the Padres would have had a bases loaded, no outs situation in the deciding inning.

Instead, Reyburn's brutal call absolutely changed the trajectory of the rest of the inning and the Padres ultimately were eliminated by the Cubs.

Talk about inexcusable. Once the automated ball-strike system makes its way to MLB next season, we'll see fewer and fewer plays like this happen in crucial moments of the game.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Umpire blows brutal call in Padres’ ninth inning at bat

Reporting by Mary Clarke, For The Win / For The Win

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect