Jun 21, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) is congratulated after hitting a three-run home run during the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
San Diego, California – For 98 at-bats, Fernando Tatis Jr. couldn’t quite get all of one. Not until Saturday night, when the Friar faithful at Petco Park finally got what they’d been waiting for.
With two runners on in the seventh and the Padres clinging to a one-run lead, Tatis jumped on a 96-mph sinker from Kansas City reliever Taylor Clarke and rocketed it 107 mph over the left-centerfield wall. The three-run homer—his 14th of the season and first since May 27—gave San Diego a 5-1 lead and ended the longest home run drought of his career. More importantly, it gave the Padres a much-needed victory.
Then the balloon popped. The tension was all but gone.
Before that moment, it was anyone’s game. Starter Dylan Cease worked 6.2 gritty innings, scattering three hits and giving up one run on 110 pitches. He struck out just four—a low total by his standards—but kept the Royals guessing all night with a steady mix of four-seamers and sliders.
Luis Arraez had earlier given the Padres a 2-1 lead with an RBI single in the third. Jake Cronenworth chipped in with a run-scoring groundout in the second. But it was Tatis’ no-doubt shot—his first at home since May 6—that finally gave the offense the exclamation point it’s been missing.
The win was just San Diego’s third in their last 10 games, a welcome break from a stretch of inconsistency that has tested both players and fans. The Royals came in hot, riding a four-game winning streak, and threatened to tie things up in the eighth before José Iglesias made a highlight-reel play at third to steal a base hit from Vinnie Pasquantino.
Adrian Morejon followed Cease with a dominant 1.2 innings, retiring all five batters he faced. Jeremiah Estrada got the final out of the seventh.
Quietly, Xander Bogaerts stayed hot, collecting two more singles. He’s now 10-for-his-last-13 with a home run, two doubles, and seven singles over a three-game span. His timing couldn’t be better as the Padres fight to stay afloat in a crowded NL Wild Card race.
San Diego can clinch the series Sunday afternoon with Randy Vasquez on the hill against a familiar face—former Padre Seth Lugo. A win would go a long way toward stabilizing a season that’s felt like it’s been teetering on the edge.
But for now, the Padres—and their fans—can exhale. Tatis is back.
