One day after Padres' bullpen disaster vs Angels, Fernando Tatis Jr. exacts revenge with personal milestone

Fernando Tatis Jr. took Kenley Jansen deep in Tuesday's game between the San Diego Padres and the LA Angels at Petco Park. With the game tied 4-4, Tatis dispatched closer Jansen's inside cutter pitch for a home run to right center field in the ninth inning for a walk-off win.

It was Tatis' first walk-off home run of his career as the Padres won 6-4, one day after the Angels had scored six runs in the ninth inning to win 9-5. That evening, the Padres' bullpen exploded, as Robert Suarez left the mound with bases loaded. Taylor Ward smashed a grand slam off Alek Jacob to put the Angels up by four runs, which was enough to win the game.

Tatis helped the Padres get back to the Angels in the second game of the series as the two teams now head for Wednesday's series finale.

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Jansen, who previously played for Padres NL West rivals, the Dodgers, continued to make a mess in the ninth inning. He has given up the most walk-off home runs (3) in the ninth at Petco Park.

Earlier in the game, Zach Neto led the Angels' innings with a leadoff home run off Dylan Cease. In the fifth inning, the Padres tied the game after a throwing error from the Angels catcher, resulting in an easy run scored by Xander Bogaerts. Later, in the same inning, the Padres took the lead on Martin Maldonado's RBI sac bunt.

Cease finished his outing with a double-digit strikeout game (10) in 6.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits.

Joe Adell tied the game for the Angels in the seventh inning with an RBI double off Jeremiah Estrada, which was followed by a two-run go-ahead home run, pushing the Angels to a 4-2 lead. Gavin Sheets' RBI single and Manny Machado's scoring run on a wild pitch helped the Padres tie the game 4-4 in the bottom of the fourth inning. Fernando Tatis then took care of business in the ninth.

Fernando Tatis Jr. explains why his batting mechanism has changed

Fernando Tatis Jr.'s activity at the plate showed a noticeable shift. Instead of his usual leg kick before he pounds the pitch with his bat, he shunned this batting mechanism in May.

When asked about it, the outfielder highlighted being tired after playing 40 out of 41 games to begin the 2025 season.

“Just (trying to) find solutions,” Tatis told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “It depends how I’m feeling. I’ve been a little bit more tired after the first month. The body is a little fatigued. I was feeling my hands were getting a little slower. Not significant, but missing a couple pitches.”

Fernando Tatis Jr. has been a key figure in the Padres' lineup, hitting .316 along with 11 home runs, 26 RBIs and eight stolen bases.

About the author

Krutik Jain is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. It was in 2018 when the baseball bug bit Krutik, and already a cricket fan, he credits baseball's rules and Clayton Kershaw's pitching to have hooked him to the game.

A Kershaw and Mookie Betts fan, Krutik rates his favorite team LA Dodgers triumphing over Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series as his best baseball moment so far. His answer to the perennial "one player from the past you could meet" question is Jackie Robinson. Despite never having seen him play, Robinson's impact, legacy and trail-blazing journey have left an indelible impact on Krutik.

A rigorous fact-checker, Krutik likes reporting on the technical aspects of the game as well as off-field elements. When not watching baseball, Krutik is busy playing cricket, staying up to date with the happenings around the world and hiking.

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Edited by Bhargav