Tatis Jr. goes where only 1 has gone before
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SAN DIEGO -- Fernando Tatis Jr. reclaimed sole possession of the Major League home run lead on Thursday afternoon. And he left absolutely no doubt.
His 13th home run of the season landed on the roof of the Western Metal Supply Co. building -- rarefied territory at Petco Park. Tatis is only the second player on record to homer onto the roof, joining former teammate Hunter Renfroe, who did so twice.
Tatis’ blast set the table for a frantic finish to Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader, a 10-7 walk-off win. Manny Machado followed Tatis' sixth-inning blast with a home run of his own, tying the score at 3. Then, after the Mariners scored four runs in the top of the seventh (and final) inning, the Padres stormed back with seven of their own -- the last three coming on Wil Myers' walk-off bomb.
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The Padres hit four home runs in Game 1, but Tatis' moonshot was without a doubt the most impressive of the bunch.
Mariners reliever Matt Magill hung a curveball with his first pitch, and Tatis obliterated it. The ball left his bat at 110.4 mph, according to Statcast, and it traveled a projected 448 feet -- the longest of his 13 home runs this season.
In a way, Tatis was merely taking out some frustration. He'd opened the series 0-for-7 -- his second-longest stretch without reaching base this season. He also committed his first error of the year, booting a double-play ball in the top of the third inning.
But if we’ve learned anything from the start of the 2020 season, it’s that Tatis doesn't stay down for very long.