Here are other HRs on 3-0 counts in blowouts

Fernando Tatis Jr. is perhaps the most exciting player in baseball today. He's only 21, and entering play Tuesday, he was leading the Majors with 11 home runs and 28 RBIs. And that's not to mention his tremendous defense at shortstop. Tatis has the baseball world awestruck, but there are some who took issue with his 11th home run of 2020.

Rangers manager Chris Woodward was none too happy about Tatis swinging for the fences with a 3-0 count and his Padres leading Texas, 10-3, in the eighth inning at Globe Life Field on Monday. Tatis belted a grand slam over the wall in right field to put the finishing touches on a 14-4 San Diego victory.

However you view Tatis' homer -- whether it's breaking the "unwritten rules" of baseball or just trying to win a game in a sport in which it's been proven many times that no lead is safe -- this kind of home run is not unheard of. Let's have a look at all of the homers hit on a 3-0 count with a seven-run lead or greater, and in the seventh inning or later, going back to when pitch tracking first became ubiquitous in 1988. And while not exactly common, it has now happened five times on record, though Tatis’ homer was the first grand slam in such a situation.

Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres -- Aug. 17, 2020, at Rangers

Tatis entered this game on an absolute tear, and when it seemed as though he couldn't do anything to top what he did the day before -- well, he did. The Padres' phenom smashed a laser over the wall in left-center field for a three-run homer in the seventh inning at Globe Life Field. His next plate appearance came in the very next inning, when he faced veteran reliever Juan Nicasio with the bases loaded and San Diego up by seven runs. Nicasio fell behind the young slugger, 3-0, and on the next pitch, Tatis launched a grand slam well over the right-field wall.

Rangers manager Chris Woodward took exception to Tatis swinging on 3-0 with a large lead late in the game.

“There's a lot of unwritten rules that are constantly being challenged in today's game,” Woodward said. “I didn't like it, personally. You're up by seven [runs] in the eighth inning; it's typically not a good time to swing 3-0. It's kind of the way we were all raised in the game. But, like I said, the norms are being challenged on a daily basis, so -- just because I don't like it doesn't mean it's not right.”

Juan Gonzalez, Tigers -- Aug. 11, 2000, at A's

Gonzalez, one of the premier sluggers of the 1990s, was by this point past his prime. But that didn't make him any less lethal if you made a mistake out over the plate. In this case, it wasn't so much a mistake pitch as it was a get-it-in strike from Oakland's Jeff Tam with two outs and nobody on in the top of the eighth inning. Incidentally, the score at the time was the same as in Tatis' case -- 10-3. Gonzalez launched a solo homer over the center field wall at the Oakland Coliseum in the eventual 11-4 Tigers victory.

Thomas Howard, Cardinals -- May 20, 2000, at Pirates

This homer was unique in that it came from a pinch-hitter. Howard was hitting for Cardinals slugger Jim Edmonds with one out in the top of the ninth inning at Three Rivers Stadium, and St. Louis leading, 15-3. Pittsburgh catcher-turned-reliever Keith Osik watched his 3-0 pitch to Howard soar over the right-field wall to expand the lead further, to 17-3. The Cardinals went on to win, 19-4. The homer was one of just six Howard hit in 2000, his final season in the Majors. And along with Tatis’ blast, it was the only other home run in this group that had any men on base.

Jay Buhner, Mariners -- April 18, 1996, vs. Tigers

With the Mariners leading by a score of -- you guessed it -- 10-3, in the bottom of the seventh inning, Buhner walked to the plate with nobody out after Edgar Martinez had just launched a three-run homer to break the game open. Buhner worked the count to 3-0 against Tigers reliever Mike Myers. On the pitch that followed, he belted a home run to cap the scoring in an 11-3 Seattle victory at the Kingdome.

Robin Ventura, White Sox -- June 2, 1993, at Tigers

With two outs and nobody on in the top of the ninth inning at Tiger Stadium, Ventura lined a 3-0 pitch from Tigers reliever Dave Haas over the wall in right field to pad an already comfortable 9-1 White Sox lead.