Fernando Tatis Jr., right fielder of the San Diego Padres registered a go-ahead and two-run home run with two outs in the eighth, against the Chicago Cubs and took the Padres to their victory over the Cubs squad. The Cubs lost the matchup with a final score of 9-8 to the Padres.
Tatis Jr. gave an incredible performance during the twentieth anniversary when the Padres played the first game at Petco Park. According to the Associated Press, he was donning custom cleats in turn honoring Tony Gwynn, the late Hall of Famer.
The All-Star, right fielder of the Padres, stated after the exuberant win, “It was amazing. But all credit to the boys. We were down 8-0 and we were never out of the game. We kept building, we kept taking good at-bats against tough pitches. The boys started executing. We started moving the line, we kept believing in each other and that was just the final blow.”
Ohhhhh Nando!!! @Padres #ForTheFaithful #Unbelievable pic.twitter.com/Zhqqjkf0JJ
— Don Orsillo (@DonOrsillo) April 9, 2024
Fernando Tatis crushes a 2-run homer to give the Padres the lead after trailing the Cubs 8-0! ⚾️💣pic.twitter.com/zP3J0cBk1R
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) April 9, 2024
The player also intends to release fifty pairs of personalized cleats this MLB season and they will be created in collaboration with his company, Xample. With his cleats he was sporting two different styles paying tribute to late icon of the league Gwynn, who played for the Padres during the entirety of his illustrious career.
Tatis Jr. also mentioned that blessings were with him during the game and stated. “Definitely the shoes. The power came from above. Always grateful. Definitely a little bit inspired today. I’m going to keep playing with them. Hopefully, they keep sending good luck. Just happy I was wearing those shoes today.”
Padres manager, Mike Shildt shared positive words regarding Tatis Jr. mentioning, “It was a big homer. Impressive. Impressive guy. Real proud of him.”
The play-by-play announcer of the San Diego Padres, Don Orsillo, also expressed elation as Tatis Jr. was able to turn around the game with his big hits.
