Jun 22, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres second baseman Jose Iglesias (7) has ice poured over him by Jackson Merrill (3), left, and Tyler Wade (14) after hitting a walk-off fielder’s choice during the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
San Diego, California – If you had “Jose Iglesias steals the show” on your Padres bingo card, come collect your prize.
On a sunny Sunday afternoon at Petco Park, the San Diego Padres finally shook off their June funk, taking a gritty 3-2 win over the Kansas City Royals and clinching their first series victory since early June. And while the spotlight before the game belonged to the returning Jackson Merrill, it was Iglesias—brought in as a pinch-hitter in the seventh—who delivered both the tying and winning runs in a comeback straight out of the Friar faithful’s dreams.
The afternoon began with some encouraging news for Padres fans: Jackson Merrill, the club’s All-Star rookie centerfielder, was activated from the concussion injured list and immediately slotted into the two-hole in the lineup. Merrill made his presence felt, but not before both starters—San Diego’s Randy Vásquez and former Friar Seth Lugo—traded zeros through five innings.
Lugo, who looked like he was still very comfortable on the Petco Park mound, retired 18 straight Padres after giving up a leadoff single to Fernando Tatis Jr. He even did the unthinkable—striking out Luis Arraez, something that hadn’t happened since before Memorial Day.
Vásquez blinked first. In the sixth inning, he left a cutter over the middle of the plate to Salvador Perez, and the Royals’ backstop made him pay, crushing a 114 MPH rocket into the left-field seats to give Kansas City a 2-0 lead. It was the only run Vásquez allowed in an otherwise stellar start.
Then came the seventh. Merrill led off with a double that injected life into the sellout crowd. Lugo exited to a well-earned ovation, and suddenly the Royals bullpen was on the spot. After two quick outs, a walk to Gavin Sheets and another to Xander Bogaerts loaded the bases. Enter Iglesias, pinch-hitting for Jake Cronenworth. Quatraro countered with right-hander Lucas Erceg.
Advantage: Padres.
Iglesias laced a soft single into right to tie the game 2-2—then added a full-body tumble out of the box for good measure.
The eighth nearly flipped again when rookie sensation Jac Caglianone robbed Merrill of a go-ahead homer with a leaping grab over the wall in right field. The Petco crowd groaned, but stayed loud. They didn’t have to wait long.
In the ninth, closer Robert Suarez walked a tightrope, nearly giving up the go-ahead run before a perfect relay from Merrill to Iglesias to catcher Elias Díaz cut down the potential score at the plate. It was textbook—one of those spring training drills that showed up when it mattered most.
Then, the Friars walked it off. Arraez singled, Bogaerts doubled, and once again, Iglesias delivered—this time with a grounder up the middle that was just slow enough and just far enough to allow Arraez to slide home with the winner.
Ballgame.
From concussion list to basepaths, from bench to hero, and from “maybe next time” to “finally again,” the Padres played the kind of game that could be a turning point. They’ll look to keep the momentum rolling Monday night against the Nationals.
For now, though, the Petco crowd has something to smile about—and a new unsung hero in Jose Iglesias.
