Apr 12, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) and San Diego Padres first baseman Luis Arraez (4) celebrate after the San Diego Padres defeat the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images
San Diego, California – At Padres FanFest earlier this year, Fernando Tatis Jr. declared that when he’s healthy and locked in, he’s “second to none” on a baseball field. On Saturday night at Petco Park, he proved exactly why.
Tatis Jr. sparked the Padres both at the plate and in the field, leading the way in a 2-0 win over the Colorado Rockies that extended San Diego’s home winning streak to nine games to start the 2025 season. Add in last year, and the Friars have now won 16 of their last 17 at Petco.
From the first pitch to the final out, Tatis Jr. was at the center of it all. He opened the bottom of the first with a 424-foot leadoff home run — his 13th career leadoff blast — against Rockies right-hander Chase Dollander, and he closed the game with a jaw-dropping catch at the wall to save the win.
In between, he showcased the full range of his game, including a sliding catch on the game’s first batter, robbing Ezequiel Tovar of a hit and possibly boosting the confidence of Padres starter Kyle Hart, who was coming off a rough outing in Chicago.
A week after being pulled in the first inning at Wrigley Field, Hart looked like a new man. The left-hander delivered six shutout innings of one-hit baseball, striking out four and walking none in a dominant bounce-back effort.
Jason Heyward provided insurance in the fifth inning with a solo homer of his own — his first in a Padres uniform — stretching the lead to 2-0. The veteran crushed a Dollander fastball deep into the right-field seats, giving the Friars just enough cushion.
As has been the case all season, the San Diego bullpen took care of the rest. Jeremiah Estrada and Jason Adam each worked a scoreless frame to bridge the gap to closer Robert Suarez, who made things interesting in the ninth.
Suarez allowed two singles around a pair of strikeouts, bringing former University of San Diego star Kris Bryant to the plate with the tying runs on base. Bryant laced a drive into the right-field corner, but Tatis Jr., showcasing his elite speed and defensive instincts, tracked it down with a leaping catch at the warning track for the final out.
The Padres will go for the sweep Sunday afternoon, with Michael King set to face off against Rockies southpaw Kyle Freeland.
If Tatis keeps playing like this, the sweep — and perhaps much more — feels well within reach.
