Jeff Passan just joined Padres fans in blasting Cubs’ controversial Game 3 win

The Chicago Cubs are headed to the NLDS to face the Milwaukee Brewers, but not without some controversy. That called third strike to Padres' shortstop Xander Bogaerts in the ninth inning has left not only San Diego Padres fans fuming, but noted baseball insider Jeff Passan. Passan was among the many to take to social media and wonder if ABS would have led to Thursday's result being different.

During the final week of the regular season, Major League Baseball announced that the ABS challenge system will be used during the 2026 season. In other words, the call that dramatically altered the outlook of Thursday's ninth inning would have been overturned had this been a playoff game in 2026. Of course, talking about that in 2025 feels a little bit like eating sour grapes, but that is all Padres fans are left with.

Momentum almost certainly seemed to be on the Padres' side in the ninth inning, as Cubs' relief pitcher Brad Keller couldn't find his control. Keller would go on to hit two batters after the controversial strikeout to Bogaerts, and one has to wonder how the inning would have played out if the correct call had been made.

Thursday's game had all the makings of being the modern-day version of a Cubbie Occurrence. The Cubs were in control throughout the entire game, and when Keller seemed to be out of gas, it was a reminder that the North Siders don't have a great history in elimination games at Wrigley Field.

Had things gone differently for the Cubs in the ninth inning, it would have been a grim outlook moving forward in the game. Craig Counsell had deployed most of his high-leverage relief pitchers, and Matthew Boyd almost certainly would have been the next man up if the game went to extra innings. Meanwhile, the Padres hadn't thrown Mason Miller yet, and that could have been what derailed the game for the Cubs had it been extended.

As the Cubs found out in 2016, sometimes you need magic on your side in October. That certainly was the case on Thursday night.

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