The San Diego Padres kept their postseason push alive with a dramatic 4-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night at Petco Park, capped by Fernando Tatis Jr. delivering a walk-off sacrifice fly in the 10th inning. The win pulled the Padres within half a game of the Los Angeles Dodgers in a tight NL West race.
The Padres trailed 3-0 before storming back in the sixth inning. Gavin Sheets put San Diego on the board with an RBI double, and Jackson Merrill followed with a game-tying, two-run triple that slipped past center fielder TJ Friedl’s glove near the warning track. From there, the San Diego bullpen held Cincinnati scoreless, setting up the extra-inning drama.
In the 10th, Jake Cronenworth started as the automatic runner at second base. Freddy Fermin’s bunt was mishandled by former Padre Nick Martinez, whose throwing error allowed Cronenworth to reach third. Tatis then lifted a deep fly ball to left, and the Petco Park crowd erupted as Cronenworth tagged and scored, with teammates mobbing the Padres star near first base.
The Talkin’ Baseball podcast posted the walk-off moment on X, formerly known as Twitter, capturing the 26-year-old’s latest clutch swing.
“The Padres walk it off on a Tatis sac fly!”
The Padres walk it off on a Tatis sac fly! pic.twitter.com/vSmLDKgReQ
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 9, 2025
Yu Darvish allowed three runs on six hits across 5 2/3 innings, marking his seventh straight start giving up a home run. Wandy Peralta recorded the final out in the top of the 10th to earn the win, as the bullpen combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings.
The Reds jumped ahead behind Friedl’s leadoff homer, an RBI single from Elly De La Cruz, and a solo shot from Austin Hays. Left-hander Nick Lodolo exited after five innings of two-hit ball while battling a blister and flu-like symptoms, and Cincinnati’s bullpen couldn’t protect the advantage.
For the Padres, the victory improved their record to 79-65 while keeping them three games ahead of the New York Mets in the Wild Card standings. Tatis, now hitting .262 with 20 home runs and 62 RBIs, once again reminded everyone why he remains the face of San Diego’s playoff chase.
