Another day, another home run robbery by San Diego Padres’ star Fernando Tatis Jr. in right field.
The latest edition of the 26-year-old’s heroics came in the fourth inning of Tuesday night’s game vs. the Cincinnati Reds at Petco Park. Tyler Stephenson hit a long fly ball toward the right field wall that looked like a home run—and it likely would have been if anyone else was playing right field.
But Tatis ran toward the wall, leaped like he has so many times before and came down with the ball. Oh, and then he nearly threw out Gavin Lux at first base, too. It marked his fourth home run robbery in his last 27 games at Petco Park, per MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell.
Tatis makes spectacular grab
How good was Tatis’ latest robbery? Well, the man himself believes it’s his best yet.
“I really liked that one,” Tatis said, per Cassavell. “It probably was quicker than the other ones, and I had less time than the other ones. It’s probably No. 1.”
Tatis had to speed up because Stephenson’s fly ball was actually more of a line drive hurtling nearly 102 mph. That’s what made the catch so difficult—and spectacular.
Here’s how Cassavell describes it:
“Even by his own lofty standards, it was sensational. Stephenson’s fly ball was hit hard, on a line, forcing Tatis to retreat quickly to the wall. In one motion, he leapt, kicked his right leg into the wall for leverage and reached his left arm over the wall to make the catch.”
That saved San Diego two runs, but Stephenson smartly decided to hit a ball the opposite way, toward left field, in the ninth inning. That one wasn’t caught, instead serving as a go-ahead, two-run homer that proved insurmountable in the Padres’ 4-2 loss.
But if hitters didn’t already know, stay away from Tatis at Petco Park. That’s where he also robbed then-Diamondbacks slugger Josh Naylor on July 8, the Mets’ Mark Vientos on July 28 and the Giants' Rafael Devers on Aug. 20.
Get the picture?
Tatis already won a Platinum Glove Award in 2023. Could he be destined for another?