The San Diego Padres are doing whatever it takes to earn a Wild Card spot amid a disappointing season. Yet, somehow, they are still alive, and Fernando Tatis Jr. is one of the reasons why the train won't stop churning. On Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles, Tatis had a magical steal of home plate that electrified Petco Park and helped the Padres win the series against the Orioles.
Fernando Tatis Jr. steals home with ease! pic.twitter.com/caoMIMMWom
— MLB (@MLB) August 17, 2023
After the game, manager Bob Melvin couldn't help but give Tatis a unique comparison, and it's certainly a valid one (h/t AJ Cassavell of MLB.com).
“I kid with him that he’s a witch, and he rides his broom around the bases. That’s pretty much exactly what happened there. It’s like: When he takes off, everybody just gets nervous.”
And, it wasn't planned, as Tatis revealed after the game: “I just went for it.”
Fernando Tatis Jr. has five stolen bases in his last six games and is up to 22 on the year in 101 games. The Padres are five games below .500 but have moved up to just 4.5 games back of a Wild Card spot, so a lot can happen over the next few weeks.
After missing the first chunk of the season for his 80-game PED suspension, Tatis has returned to one of the most exciting players in baseball and is doing everything he can to lead the Padres to the playoffs.
The Padres begin a four-game set with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday, so it's a perfect opportunity to make up some ground and leapfrog a team ahead of them in the NL West and NL Wild Card races.
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