Padres fans didn’t abandon Fernando Tatis Jr.
Cheering him often amid a power slump that may have elicited boos in other cities, they tried to facilitate the longball launch that finally arrived Wednesday in the East Village.
“They have my back; they always have,” Tatis said after hitting his first home run at Petco Park and second overall this season, a liner over the left-field wall that beat the Reds, 5-4.
“They encouraged me. We’re in this long run together.”
Phillies star Trea Turner heard the roars for Tatis a few weeks ago, during his team’s visit in late May.
They made an impression.
Turner was reminded of his own experiences three years ago. Phillies fans, going against that sports market’s hard-edged reputation, had rallied around him amid his severe hitting struggles in his first season with the team.
“It mattered to me,” Turner said.
Signed by the Phillies to an 11-year, $300-million contract entering the 2023 season, Turner said the cheers shifted his mental habits in a fruitful way that he could not do by himself.
“We all want to do really well,” said the 32-year-old Turner, a former Padres minor leaguer who played for the Nationals and Dodgers before joining the Phillies. “Sometimes, you try too hard. You’re working hard, you’re doing all you can. And it’s just not happening for you.
“When someone outside of yourself picks you up and gives you a different vibe, that’s a good thing. Sometimes you need to get that view outside of yourself.”
Tatis has been a fan favorite since his Padres debut in 2019. After signing him to a 14-year, $340 million contract in February 2021, team chairman Peter Seidler said he wanted to reward fans by ensuring Tatis would spend his whole career in San Diego.
Now 27, Tatis said he’s also appreciative of how Padres fans have stood by the whole team this year.
“There will be some boos,” he recalled.
“They were totally understandable,” he said.
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Wednesday’s comeback win enabled the Padres to split a six-game homestand against two teams with losing records, the Mets and the Reds, and improve their standing in the crowded wild-card races.
Swinging the bat better in recent weeks, Tatis built toward lift-off Wednesday.
Tuesday night, the 6-foot-3 right-hander rifled a double to deep right field off a fastball from Cincinnati’s best starting pitcher, Chase Burns.
He was the team’s lone hot hitter going into the series-deciding game, having batted .397 (25-for-63) since May 24. His home run on May 30 against the Nationals ended his stunning longball drought of 243 plate appearances dating to Sept. 27.
Power, though, is only one part of Tatis’ well-rounded game. And overall, he’d given the paying customers in San Diego a good show even before Wednesday, batting .336 at Petco Park and defending well in both right field and at second base.
Tatis had seen a few well-struck drives here caught near the center-field wall. His screamer Wednesday cleared the left-field barrier after Tatis jumped on a fat, two-out slider from Reds righty Chase Petty, who’d allowed five home runs in 17 1/3 career innings.
Let’s check on two other pivotal Padres hitters.
Jackson Merrill had a fine series, sending him toward his home state, Maryland, where the Padres will face the Orioles this weekend, in something of a groove. The lefty, batting second, drove a single and a double to left field Wednesday, one game after pulling Burns’ 98-mph fastball for a triple off the wall.
Manny Machado’s performance on Wednesday served up a few nuggets, too.
He pulled a first-inning double to bring home Merrill and made a few sharp plays afield.
This, too: if there are any concerns that Machado’s unusually low batting average and OPS owe to an undisclosed ailment, it was notable that he wasn’t cautious about pulling out the stops to score. It didn’t work out, as Machado was thrown out at home attempting to score on a single to left field. But the 33-year-old went for it.
If the Padres do round into form soon, the timing would be excellent. Following the nine-game trip, they’ll return to face the Braves and Dodgers.