Tatis' HR, and bat drop, sparks Padres in 9th
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Down to their final out on Friday night, the Padres turned their lineup over to Fernando Tatis Jr. This back-and-forth Coors Field opener wouldn¡¯t be decided until San Diego¡¯s 21-year-old phenom had his say.
Tatis launched a game-tying solo shot, executing a sublime bat drop as he watched the ball soar into the first row in left field. Three batters later, Tommy Pham followed with a go-ahead three-run blast. Then, to cap a wild ninth inning, closer Kirby Yates allowed two runs, before Drew Pomeranz locked down an 8-7 Padres victory.
It was a frantic finish to a game that, in truth, was mostly uneventful for eight innings, especially considering the venue.
¡°You knew something was up late,¡± said Padres manager Jayce Tingler.
Indeed, the ninth-inning unfolded over 46 agonizing minutes, carrying all the drama of a three-act play:
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Act I: El Ni?o equalizes
Tatis tied the game with an RBI single in the seventh. Then the Rockies took a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the frame when Trevor Story took Matt Strahm deep. That¡¯s where things stood when Tatis strode to the plate in the top of the ninth with two outs and the bases empty.
¡°When they hit us, we¡¯re going to hit them back,¡± Tatis said on the postgame Zoom session with the media.
He delivered quite the counterpunch. Tatis worked himself a favorable 2-1 count, then unloaded on a Wade Davis fastball at the top of the zone.
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Tatis finished his follow-through, then dropped his bat, knowingly. But as he headed for first base, the slightest tinge of doubt entered his mind, and he turned on the jets for a moment.
¡°I knew when I hit it,¡± Tatis said. ¡°Then I doubted a little bit, because it was too much of a line drive. Thank God it went out.¡±
Few would¡¯ve blamed the Padres if they had gone down meekly in the ninth. They arrived in Denver in the wee hours of Friday morning after a late-night extra-innings victory in San Francisco the night before.
¡°What could we really do?¡± Tatis said. ¡°It was a long night for the team. We still come to the ballpark, find a way to steal it, find a way to win the game.¡±
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Act II: ¡®A little bit more respect¡¯
A tie game in the ninth at Coors Field? That¡¯s usually just the beginning.
Trent Grisham followed Tatis¡¯ homer by working a seven-pitch walk. Then he stole second. With an open base, the Rockies opted to walk Manny Machado to face Pham instead. That did not sit well with Pham.
"Whenever a team walks someone in front of you like that, it's a sign of disrespect to you as a hitter,¡± Pham said. ¡°As a professional, you just want to be respected. After tonight, maybe I got a little bit more respect."
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If so, he earned it. Pham worked a full count against Davis, whose 29th pitch was a thigh-high cutter. Davis dropped his head as soon as Pham made contact on a 105 mph rocket that traveled an estimated 440 feet, according to Statcast. It was the Padres¡¯ longest home run this season.
Pham finished the night 2-for-5 with four RBIs, easily his best game so far as a Padre. But Pham has been pivotal in the Padres¡¯ 6-2 start, even if a few would-be hits haven¡¯t fallen. He has walked five times. Meanwhile, Grisham now has six after his battle at-bat against Davis.
¡°It¡¯s been fun watching guys jell together, pull for one another, have very unselfish at-bats and do things for the team,¡± Tingler said. ¡°It¡¯s really a joy to watch.¡±
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Act III: A bullpen on the brink
The Padres brought a struggling bullpen to Colorado this weekend. Coors Field isn¡¯t exactly a cure-all.
Sure enough, Yates¡¯ ugly start to the season continued. He allowed two runs on three hits and a pair of walks, exiting with the bases loaded and the Padres hanging on to their 8-7 lead. It marked the second consecutive outing in which Yates had been lifted mid-inning. During his All-MLB campaign of 2019, that happened to him only once.
¡°He¡¯s been arguably one of the best closers the last couple years,¡± said Tingler, who reiterated that he¡¯d go right back to Yates in the next save situation. ¡°We¡¯ve got a ton of confidence in him. ¡ That¡¯s just going to be another huge weapon when he¡¯s got his game clicking.¡±
Yates, of course, isn¡¯t the only Padres reliever who has struggled uncharacteristically. Strahm has surrendered go-ahead homers in consecutive outings.
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But while most of the San Diego ¡¯pen has struggled, Pomeranz has been excellent. The Padres signed the veteran lefty to a surprise four-year deal during the offseason. Thus far, he¡¯s pitching like he¡¯s worth every penny.
¡°He¡¯s been critical, especially while some of the group is trying to find their stride right now,¡± Tingler said.
Pomeranz was called upon to face the lefty Sam Hilliard. But the Rockies countered with righty pinch-hitter Chris Owings, who worked a 2-2 count and fouled off three straight pitches before popping harmlessly to center field.
¡°Oh man, it was an awesome moment,¡± said Tatis, who also let out a loud exhale, which perfectly captured the ninth inning at Coors Field on Friday night.