If it wasn’t already clear, Fernando Tatis Jr. loudly made it known on Tuesday night that Petco Park is not just where he works, but also his place of residence.
Tatis wasted no time proving that point—and getting his San Diego Padres on the board—in the bottom of the first inning of the club’s 4-0 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the wild-card round.
After a single from teammate Luis Arraez, Tatis, facing Braves righthander AJ Smith-Shawver, crushed a fastball down Broadway on the first pitch of the at-bat, sending the ball into the left field seats for a home run.
As the crowd erupted, Tatis, while admiring his home run, shouted out, “This is my house!”
FERNANDO TATIS JR. HITS THE FIRST HOME RUN OF THE 2024 #POSTSEASON 🚀 pic.twitter.com/XFqQ06zWTT
— MLB (@MLB) October 2, 2024
NANDO’S HOUSE 😤#Postseason pic.twitter.com/XN1o8kmjYH
— MLB (@MLB) October 2, 2024
The homer gave the Padres an early jolt—and starting pitcher Michael King an early lead he would not relinquish, as the righthander struck out 12 and blanked Atlanta over seven innings en route to the win.
This is just the second time Tatis has experienced postseason baseball. The club missed the postseason in ’19, ’21, and ’23, bowed out in the National League Division Series in his second year in ’20. In ’22, the Padres made their deepest run since Tatis’s arrival, which included a trip to the NLCS, but the star missed the entire run due to a performance-enhancing drug suspension.
Despite his limited experience in such moments, Tatis believes he is built for October.
“It’s beautiful energy,” Tatis said. “I love this type of situation. It definitely brings the best out of me. And just looking forward to way more experiences like this.”
He and the Padres will take on the Braves in Game 2 on Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m. ET.
