Why were the Mets given a run because of fan interference? Game changing play vs Giants explained 

Sometimes it's better the be lucky than good, and this appears to be the case for the New York Mets on Friday night.

The New York Mets have struggled lately, however, they were granted a lucky break when a San Francisco Giants fan interfered with a hit by Jeff McNeil in the bottom of the 5th innings.

With Brandon Nimmo on first base, the hit from McNeil was bouncing towards the left field corner, however, a young San Francisco fan reached over the fence and made contact with the ball.

This changed the trajectory of the baseball, which allowed Nimmo to score on the play giving the Mets a 3-2 lead while holding McNeil at second base.

"Jeff McNeil drives in his second run of the game after Brandon Nimmo is awarded home on a fan interference double" - @SNYtv

However, in the confusion, the umpires made Nimmo return to third base after calling it a double as the result of the fan interference. It was unclear what would have happened if the bouncing ball was not touched by the fan.

After a brief discussion to decide where to place the runners, the umpiring crew determined that Brandon Nimmo was indeed allowed to score on the play.

This decision sparked San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler to emerge from the dugout to challenge the call on the field. After review, the umpires determined that Brandon Nimmo was between second and third base at the time of the contact, and believed that he would have scored on the play.

What is the MLB's rule on fan interference and how did the Mets score?

According to the MLB's rule on spectator interference, if any fan interferes with the action of the game, the ball is declared a dead ball and the umpires can determine the placement of the base runners.

While controversial, it is up to the umpire's discretion as to where the base runner would have ended up had the fan not come into contact with the ball.

"Bad call on the fan interference by the umps. Break for the #Mets but Giants will challenge" - @AtomAnt85

While the umpires believed that Nimmo would have scored regardless of the interference, this was not a sentiment shared by everyone.

The commentators were under the impression that San Francisco Giants outfielder Blake Sabol would have picked up the ball sooner, holding Nimmo at third base.