San Diego Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. wasted no time making a highlight play on MLB Opening Day.

There's a scene from the modern action/science fiction classic The Matrix where Keanu Reeves' character gets shot repeatedly at point-blank range. By all means, no matter how much ‘Kung fu' he knows, Reeves should end up with more holes than Swiss cheese. Instead, he does one of the silliest backbends in action history to dodge every single bullet.

Such a maneuver should be pure fantasy, completely impossible by normal human beings, right?

Well, call Fernando Tatis, Jr. ‘Neo', because he just pulled it off:

Seriously, when did the San Diego Padres get this good? How did they luck into a player who was able to log 39 homers and 98 RBI's in just his first two years in the major leagues? They have a legitimate superhero in Tatis, and other teams are recognizing his prowess. Observe:

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Padres' Dylan Cease pitching a baseball with fire on the ball. Place Coors Field in background.

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Tatis is part of the Padres' vanguard of hope coming into the new decade. After spending the majority of the 2010's in abject mediocrity, Slam Diego has already come a long way in its journey to relevancy. After all, they are the only team in MLB history to hit a grand slam in 4 consecutive games, and there is no shame in losing to this iteration of the LA Dodgers.

Last season marked the Slam Diego's first playoff berth since 2006, and you can bet that the Padres are looking to capitalize on that mark this year. They are fireworks personified, and if this play by Tatis is anything to go by, there's definitely some substance under the flash.

Don't mess with Fernando Tatis, Jr. He knows kung fu.