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One of baseball’s strangest situations led to a controversial call at first base in Sunday afternoon’s matchup between the Los Angeles Angels and the New York Mets.
Mets star player Juan Soto grounded a ball to first base when Nolan Schanuel and the fielder had the ball stuck in his glove – the oddity of it.
Schanuel tried to turn a double play, but after realizing he couldn’t get the ball out of his glove, decided to try to get Soto on first base to secure an out.
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Juan Soto of the New York Mets reacts after hitting an RBI single during the fifth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Opening Day at Citi Field in New York City on March 26, 2026. (Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
However, Soto booked it down the first base line and Schanuel was forced to flip the glove, the ball still in the webbing, to pitcher Jack Kochanowicz covering the bag. It was a very close game, but the referee signaled that Soto was out despite the frenzy that unfolded in a matter of seconds in the top of the third round.
But while Soto thought he was generally safe, the Mets bench screamed toward the field that Kochanowicz never fully secured Schanuel’s glove as Soto crossed first base.
No one would have blamed Mets manager Carlos Mendoza for challenging the call on the field, but he asked the umpires to continue — an interesting move considering what happened just prior to Saturday night’s game.
Mendoza was criticized for not challenging a call in Saturday’s 4-3 loss to the Angels, who might have seen a different outcome given that a decisive run was scored by Los Angeles.
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New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza returns to the dugout after a pitching change during the seventh inning against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field in New York City on April 29, 2026. (Heather Khalifa/Getty Images)
When Jo Adell lined a hit to right center field in the bottom of the first inning with two outs, Mets right fielder Austin Slater threw a single to Bo Bichette at third base, and he tagged out Jorge Soler to end the inning. But more importantly, Bichette’s tag on Soler was placed before the run scored for the Angels in the replay.
But Mendoza never challenged the call and it ultimately hurt his team in the end.
“[The replay room] missed it,” Mendoza told reporters after the game when asked about not challenging. “We called and he missed it. [Replay analyst] Harrison [Friedland] is one of the best at his job and you know of course it ends up being a big game when you lose by a run.
“I think we also had chances and we didn’t capitalize.”
Fortunately for the Mets, this lack of challenge didn’t hurt them in the end, defeating the Angels 5-1 to go 12-22 on the season.
Los Angeles Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel runs to second base in the first inning against the New York Mets at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., on May 2, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
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It’s been a rough start to the 2026 campaign for New York, a team many expected to contend for a playoff spot. Instead, they’ve endured a recent 12-game losing streak and are now fighting to get back to at least .500.
The Mets need some things on the diamond to go their way, but failing to challenge look-alike plays like these is one way they can tip the momentum in their favor.
