Fernando Tatis Jr. and his confident style made a comeback in the playoffs with a big hit.
The 25-year-old star from San Diego hit a high two-run homer on his first playoff swing in four years, giving the Padres a 2-0 lead against rookie AJ Smith-Shawver and the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of their Wild Card Series on Tuesday night.
The Padres went on to win the game 4-0.
The homer, which traveled 415 feet into the second deck in left field at Petco Park, thrilled the packed crowd of 47,647 fans, who waved their towels in excitement. The Dominican player, known for his flashy style, watched the ball soar, tossed his bat, gestured toward the home dugout, and did his signature stutter step around third base.
“I knew it was going to go out,” Tatis said. “I didn’t know it was going to land in the second deck just because how high it was.”
He mentioned that he slipped a little during his swing but managed to get his bat in the right position. “But I was fortunate enough to get my bat path where I wanted. And next thing we know, the ball was in the stands,” Tatis said.
The son of a former big league player, Tatis missed about 2 1/2 months this season due to a stress reaction in his right thighbone. He returned in early September and ended the regular season with 21 home runs and a .276 batting average.
He hit the homer off a 94 mph fastball thrown by 21-year-old Smith-Shawver, one of the Braves’ top prospects. This was Smith-Shawver’s first playoff start and only his second appearance this season.
Luis Arraez was on base with a single to start the inning. Arraez, who was traded from Miami in early May, became the first player since the 1800s to win batting titles with three different teams.
Michael King, who performed excellently in his first playoff start, said he was sitting in the dugout with catcher Kyle Higashioka.
“I couldn’t see Tati, and I heard it,” King said. “And because the crack of the bat was louder than the fans, you knew it was hit really hard. And then I looked up and I thought it was going out of the stadium. The thing was mashed.”
