WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Mets had the perfect vantage point from their dugout as the ball skipped into the glove of Nathaniel Lowe near first base, but none of the umpiring crew seemed to have a clear look.

With two Mets runners on base and the Nationals leading 2-0, Jesse Winker pulled a line drive to the Nationals first baseman, and the umpires ruled it a catch, setting off a controversial triple play.

Lowe gloved the ball as the Mets runners took off. He threw the ball to CJ Abrams at second base, who touched the base, which had been vacated by Brandon Nimmo, and tagged Mark Vientos for the triple play.

What did the Mets see on the field?

It was a tough judgement for Nimmo and Vientos, who were caught in between on the 107-mph line drive.

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“The ball’s hit hard. It was a sweeper or something that was coming into Jesse and usually that ball comes off with top spin,” Nimmo said. “At that point, you’re trying to make a call on whether you see some dirt or not because it’s a really close play. I thought I saw a little skip before the glove and so I decided to go.

“You’re also kind of in no man’s land when it’s hard at them like that and it’s a close play on the ground.”

With the ball being hit right at him off first base, Vientos said he “messed up” and that he should have frozen and gone back to the base. It would have likely been only a double play had umpires noticed the ball had skipped.

Umpire crew chief Alfonso Marquez was behind the play at first base, but Mets manager Carlos Mendoza contended that one of the other umpires should have seen the lack of a clean catch.

“They had a catch and it’s a line drive in the outfield. It’s not reviewable,” Mendoza said. “It’s frustrating, obviously, because we all saw what happened. I’m not blaming Alfonso because he’s the one behind the play but I think the other three, somebody’s got to see that play. It’s a tough break for us there.”

A case for reviewing all catches

After Nationals starter Jake Irvin held the Mets to one hit in the first three innings, the Mets offense appeared to be gaining some traction with back-to-back singles by Nimmo and Vientos, but the controversial triple play ended the threat.

According to Major League Baseball’s rules on replay, fly balls and line drives fielded by a player in the infield are not eligible to be reviewed. Catches made in the outfield, however, can be reviewed.

When asked if they believed the catch should be reviewed in the infield, Mendoza and Nimmo both agreed.

“Yeah, that’s just frustrating that a play like that with so much impact, not only in that inning but in the game, it’s first and second, nobody out, and before you know it, you’re out of the inning and there’s nothing you can do about it,” Mendoza said. “I was asking for them to get together and it was just a pretty frustrating play.”

The Mets manager said that the umpires told him that if somebody had seen it, they would have gone to Alfonso, who was at first base.

Nimmo said with how umpires now review plays in a time efficient matter that all catches should be able to be reviewed.

“I do wish it could be reviewed. I wish that all catches could be reviewed,” Nimmo said. “I get it’s in the infield but that play’s happening in front of the first-base umpire where he really doesn’t have a great read on it. The only guy who really does is, honestly, home plate and maybe depending on where the third-base umpire is and maybe second.”