Aug. 18 (UPI) — San Diego Padres phenom Fernando Tatis Jr. jumped all over a 3-0 fastball for a 407-foot grand slam to pile on the Texas Rangers in the eighth inning of a lopsided win in Arlington, Texas.
Tatis also hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning of the 14-4 triumph Monday at Globe Life Park. He is hitting .305 with a league-leading 11 home runs and 28 RBIs this season.
The Padres shortstop went 2 for 5 with seven RBIs, two runs scored and a strikeout in Monday’s win.
“I was just trying to take a good pitch and I put my barrel on it and I got a result,” Tatis said of his grand slam.
San Diego earned a 7-0 lead through 3.5 innings before Rougned Odor smacked a two-run double for the Rangers in the bottom of the fourth frame. Joey Gallo hit another RBI double for Texas in the bottom of the sixth inning before Tatis stepped into the box in the top of the next inning.
Austin Hedges stood on second base and Trent Grisham manned first base as the Padres shortstop settled in against Rangers relief pitcher Jesse Chavez. Chavez threw a sinker outside the strike zone for his first pitch of the exchange. He then tossed in a 91.4-mph sinker.
Tatis pummeled the pitch to left center field for a 405-foot, three-run homer. That blast traveled 113 mph and left the field in 3.8 seconds, according to Statcast.
The Padres slugger returned to the plate in the next inning to increase San Diego’s lead to 11 runs. Tatis settled in against Rangers reliever Juan Nicasio during that exchange. Nicasio pitched three consecutive balls before he lobbed a 92.1-mph fastball into the strike zone.
Tatis ripped the 3-0 fastball to right center field for a 110-mph grand slam.
The Rangers plated the final run of the game on a throwing error in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Padres starter Zach Davies earned his third win of the season after he allowed three hits and three runs in five innings. Jordan Lyles allowed seven hits and seven runs in four innings for the Rangers and took his second loss of 2020.
Padres center-fielder Trent Grisham went 2 for 4 with an RBI, two runs scored and a walk in the win. Jurickson Profar went 2 for 5 with two RBIs and two runs scored for San Diego.
Rangers manager Chris Woodward questioned Tatis’ sportsmanship after the game for his decision to clobber the 3-0 offering while his team held 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 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.”
The Padres (12-12) face the Rangers (10-11) at 4:05 p.m. EDT Tuesday in Arlington.
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