The San Diego Padres just absolutely embarrassed the Chicago Cubs, sweeping them in two quick games during the Wild Card Series. Now, they’re riding a Pacific Ocean-sized wave of pure vibes straight into Milwaukee for a showdown with the 103-win Brewers. Seriously, these Padres are baseball’s hottest team, winning 17 of their final 20 regular season games, and at the heart of that fire is Fernando Tatis Jr.
Nobody Saw This Coming: From MLB’s Worst Bats to Unstoppable
It seems like a distant memory, but for months, this Padres offense was flat-out broken. It was honestly getting annoying to even talk about how bad it was, but you had to, because what was happening at the plate was jaw-droppingly bad. At the All-Star break, these guys ranked dead last in all of baseball in batting average, hitting a pathetic .226. Their on-base percentage was also dead last at .302, and they were 29th in slugging, barely scratching by at .370. Unsurprisingly, they were also last in runs scored, clocking in at a paltry 379 overall, which is just 3.94 runs per game. Talk about anemic.
Then, everything changed. After the All-Star break, it’s like a different team showed up. The Padres started averaging 5.2 runs per game, leading the majors in batting average at a scorching .270 and ranking second in OPS with .781. It wasn’t just Tatis Jr., either. Jackson Merrill picked up the pace, Austin Hays was hitting well, and Ty France was outstanding, with a whole bunch of other guys contributing. But make no mistake, Fernando Tatis Jr. is the lifeblood of this team, the guy who makes it all go.
Fernando Tatis Jr.’s Bat Was Dead. Then Came May 30th.
Remember those annoying-but-baffling discussions about the Padres’ first-half offense? Tatis Jr. was right at the forefront, especially with how long it took him to hit a home run. Through May 16th, he was hitting a miserable .233/.310/.276. No pop. No power. For the next two weeks, he found his stroke in terms of average, going 17 for 42 for a .405 average and a .479 on-base percentage, but the power was still missing. In those 42 at-bats, he only had one double, and that was his only extra-base hit. Early in the season, he just wasn’t pulling the ball often, and when he did, he was hitting it right into the ground. He was still hitting it hard, which was frustrating, but it was all grounders. You had to wonder if there was a mental block, if he was pressing too hard.
Then, on May 30th, it finally happened. He launched a home run. The relief, the ecstasy, it was palpable through the screen. And after that, the floodgates absolutely flew open. He’d opened up his stance, and everything clicked. He finished the season hitting .289 with 96 runs, 25 homers, 83 RBI, and 38 stolen bases.
Next up, it’s the Brewers, who are similarly red-hot, having won 15 of their final 18 games. This series is gonna be all kinds of fun, with both these teams operating at a crazy high level. And get this: neither of these active franchises has ever won the World Series. If the Padres are gonna pull off this upset against the best team in baseball, you know who has to be the integral ingredient. It’s Tatis. You absolutely can’t miss this NLDS, folks. It’s gonna be electric.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
Leave a Reply