Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. robs grand slam with wild catch at the wall vs. Mets
Fernando Tatis Jr. delivered one of the highlights of the season on Tuesday.
With his team trailing the San Diego Padres 1-0 in the second inning, New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor came to the dish with the bases loaded and a prime opportunity to take the lead.
Lindor smashed a pitch from Robbie Ray to deep right field, eyeing a grand slam and a 4-1 lead. But Tatis — who hit a leadoff home run in the first inning — denied him of the long ball. He jumped up with his arm stretched over the wall at Citi Field to make a wild catch and end the inning.
Take a look at the play:
After making the spectacular grab, Tatis’ hat went flying off his head and he stood on the outfield grass with a straight face before tossing the ball from his glove to his throwing hand. On the mound, Ray threw his hands up in disbelief as the broadcast crew erupted.
Tatis wasn’t done yet, though. After his initial home run and subsequent home run robbery, he came to the plate for his third at-bat in the fifth inning — and went yard again. Tatis blasted a two-run shot to give the Padres a 3-0 lead, and they went on to beat the Mets 5-2.
The Padres are heating up at the right time as Tatis continues his surge. Entering Wednesday, they’ve won eight of their last 10 games and hold the final wild card spot in the National League.