CHICAGO -- Ultimately, nobody disputed that Kristopher Bryant belted a first-inning home run Thursday afternoon to propel the Cubs to a 5-1 victory over the Giants.
Initially, however, the Giants would have appreciated a chance to discuss the matter. But technology stepped in -- or, as was the case, tuned out.
A fan seated in the left-field bleachers reached for Bryant's drive and snagged it with his glove. Giants left fielder Mac Williamson seemed to indicate the fan interfered with the play, but manager Bruce Bochy did not challenge it.
In fact, the Giants' replay review crew of Shawon Dunston (yes, the former Cubs All-Star shortstop) and Chad Chop tried telephoning Bochy to advise a review. But the phone did not ring in the visitors' dugout.
By the time Dunston scampered to the dugout from his battery of video monitors, which was located a few turns away along the tunnel between the clubhouse and the dugout, Giants starter Jeff Samardzija was already preparing to pitch to the next hitter, Anthony Rizzo. Thus, it was too late for the Giants to say, "Ahem."
Bochy wasn't at all upset over the incident, citing "sources" who assured him that Bryant's homer was legitimate.
Said Bochy, "I talked to the umpires about it. I said it was ironic as soon as that came up, the phones stopped working."
Williamson said with a grin that the phone outage was "very convenient."
Said Bryant, "I didn't get enough of a chance to see it. If he did [interfere], he did a bad job of selling it. I don't know. I got back in the dugout and nobody was saying anything. And then I went out for the next inning and their coach was telling me, he's like, 'Yeah, like, I guess the guy reached over.'"
The fan reached across the basket that rims the top of the bleachers, which is actually a chain-link fence, and he appeared to extend his glove beyond the yellow rope that is at the top. Balls have to clear that rope to be home runs.
The solo homer was Bryant's 11th this season, tying him with Rizzo for the team lead. According to Statcast™, it had an exit velocity of 94 mph and traveled 361 feet. The mark on the left-field wall near where the ball went reads "368."
Williamson gesticulated to the umpires "to at least get their attention that [fan interference] was a possibility."
Having played in and managed hundreds of games at Wrigley Field, Bochy realized that Bryant's drive was a homer due to the way it reached the basket.
"I didn't see any reason to [challenge], to be honest, at first," Bochy said.