So much for home field advantage, Blue Jays denied thanks to Rogers Centre wall

Game 6 of the 2025 World Series will forever go down as the "wedged ball game," no matter which side you're on. What baseball fans around the world witnessed in the ninth inning on Friday night was as rare, bizarre, and controversial as the sport gets, and it unfolded on the biggest stage possible.

Alejandro Kirk began the ninth by getting nailed on the back of his left hand by a curveball that got away from Dodgers closer, Roki Sasaki. Moments after, Straw replaced Kirk as a pinch runner with Addison Barger, who's been one of the hottest hitters of this years postseason, on deck as the tying run.

Barger is always constantly swinging the bat with conviction, but the first swing of his at bat looked like the hardest he'd ever swung the bat, but he fouled it off into the seats. He then let a curveball go for a ball and fouled off the pitch after, making the count 1-2. After watching pitch for a ball, he gave a Sasaki fastball a deep ride to the opposite field, far out of the reach of Justin Dean.

Rule 5.05( a) (7) takes center stage in the Blue Jays’ heartbreaking Game 6 loss

Barger's hit was miraculously wedged between the turf and the bottom of the wall, something that has never happened at Rogers Centre. Dean, with a heads up play, put both hands in the air signaling a dead ball, as Straw and Barger both rounded the bases as a precaution.

The 28-year-old center fielder was just inserted into the game as a defensive replacement, and instead of picking the ball up, he knew the ruling and immediately put his hands up, practically saving the Dodgers season. "It's something you're taught from an early age," Dean said postgame. "If you see this, throw your hands up. Growing up playing baseball, I've heard that rule countless times.

Although social media is completely split in half on what the right call should have been, the official ruling confirms the correct decision was made, although it's at the demise of Toronto Blue Jays fans. According to the last sentance of Rule 5.05 (a) (7), "how easily a ball might be retrieved by the fielder should not factor in the decision as to whether or not to declare a ball as lodged.”

It looked like Dean could have at least given a more respectible effort at trying to retreive the ball, however that makes no difference in the ruling. Although fans were irate as the situation could not have come at a worse time, the correct call was made. Instead of the Dodgers lead being cut to 3-2, it remained 3-1 and the Blue Jays bats were silenced the rest of the way.

The Dodgers escaped a no-out, two-on jam and forced a winner-take-all Game 7, courtesy of Tyler Glasnow who came in after Sasaki gave up the ground-rule double to Barger. Even though it felt as though the Blue Jays deserved that run in the ninth, they still had 2nd and 3rd with no outs and gave Glasnow a three pitch gift to end the game.

Included in the gift, was a tough blunder from Addison Barger, who was doubled up at second the end the game. "I was pretty surprised he got to it. Off the bat, I thought it was going to go over the shortstop's head. It was kind of a bad read," said Barger.

The beauty of baseball, however, lies in second chances, and the Blue Jays will get theirs on Saturday, during the two best words in sports: Game 7.