Oct. 9 (UPI) — Fernando Tatis Jr. belted a 396-foot, two-run homer to highlight a six-run second inning and help the San Diego Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers for a 2-1 lead in the National League Division Series.
Tatis ripped the 396-foot rope for the Padres’ final runs of the night Tuesday at Petco Park. He is now hitting .556 (17 for 40) with four home runs and seven RBIs through five games this postseason.
“When I hit it, I just blacked out and started screaming at my dugout,” Tatis told reporters, when asked about his Game 3 home run. “The energy was through the roof.”
Padres starter Michael King allowed five hits and five runs through five innings. The Padres bullpen then surrendered just one hit and shut out the Dodgers over the final four innings.
Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts hit a 342-foot solo homer in the top of the first to open the scoring.
Padres third baseman Manny Machado hit a leadoff single in the bottom of the second to start the game’s biggest inning. Center fielder Jackson Merrill followed by reaching on a fielder’s choice.
Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts reached base on another fielder’s choice in the next exchange, allowing Machado to score a game-tying run.
Padres designated hitter David Peralta then smacked a two-run double to right field. Catcher Kyle Higashioka hit a sacrifice fly two at-bats later, scoring Peralta for a 4-1 Padres lead. First baseman Luis Arraez then popped out, bringing Tatis to the plate.
The electric outfielder hit the third pitch of that exchange over the left center field fence for a 6-1 Padres lead.
Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernandez hit a 403-foot grand slam in the top of the next inning, cutting the deficit to one run, but neither team scored again.
Padres relief pitchers Jeremiah Estrada, Jason Adam, Tanner Scott and Robert Suarez teamed up for the clean bullpen effort, which sealed the Game 3 triumph.
Machado and Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth recorded two hits apiece in the victory. Betts went 2 for 4 with an RBI and two runs scored for the Dodgers.
The Padres will host the Dodgers in Game 4 at 9:08 p.m. EDT Wednesday in San Diego. The winner of the best-of-five game series will meet the New York Mets or Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Championship Series. The Mets beat the Phillies 7-2 in Game 3 on Tuesday for a 2-1 lead in that NLDS.
