Campusano's walk-off HR vs. Yanks caps feat not seen since 1961

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres hope there are more Luis Campusano moments to come. Maybe a couple more swings like this one in October. Maybe another few big-time throws as the lights grow even brighter down the stretch.

Still, a night like this one served as justification for all of those years of belief. For half a decade, Campusano toiled through all manner of ups and downs with the Padres. Always seemingly on the verge of a breakthrough. Never quite breaking through.

The Padres remained steadfast in their belief, always envisioning a season like this one from him -- always envisioning a night like this one.

On Friday at Petco Park, Campusano turned in a single-game performance for the ages -- the type of performance that might just tilt a playoff race. First, he threw out three Yankees basestealers. Then, with the Padres trailing by a run in the 10th, Campusano flipped the script.

He turned on a first-pitch fastball from Yankees right-hander Paul Blackburn and launched it to the seats in left field, sending the Padres to a 3-2 victory and setting off a party in the East Village. With one swing, the Padres were back in the final Wild Card spot in the National League, a half-game up on Arizona.

It was all Campusano could do to stop from breaking into a full-on smile as he rounded the bases.

“It was a fun night,” he said afterward, no longer able to contain that smile.

As fun as it gets for a catcher. In the 75 years since both leagues began tracking catcher caught stealing stats, only one other player had turned in a night like this one -- three caught stealings and a walk-off home run: Sammy Taylor in 1961.

“You can’t ask for more, honestly,” said Padres manager Craig Stammen.

It’s probably not a coincidence that Campusano has flourished with Stammen at the helm this season. The two were once batterymates.

Stammen has given Campusano the opportunity. Campusano has run with it.

“Sometimes I forget that I played with him,” Stammen said. “I remember his first game, walking him through it, like: ‘Hey Campy, just let me call the pitches.’ … He’s come such a long way. He owns the game now behind the plate. He does it his way and has ownership of it.

“We think these guys should be finished products as soon as they get to the big leagues. Sometimes it takes a short amount of time. Sometimes it takes a really long amount of time. Sometimes it’s in the middle. Everybody has their own timeline. Campy has followed that timeline and continued to believe in himself. And now we’re seeing some of the fruits of all that.”

No kidding. After his 2-for-4 night on Friday, Campusano, still only 27, is hitting .283 with an .849 OPS. More than that, he’s turned himself into a complete all-around catcher. There was never a better example than Friday night.

He threw out Trent Grisham at second base in the second inning and Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the fifth. In the 10th, after Mason Miller had surrendered a go-ahead single to Spencer Jones, Campusano erased Jones with a perfect throw to third base. The mechanics on all three throws were outstanding.

“He came through all game,” Stammen said. “And then capped it off with a booming home run.”

A 2017 Draft pick, Campusano has been in the organization for nigh on a decade. A year ago, he received all of 21 big league at-bats. He went hitless. Sure, he mashed at Triple-A El Paso, but he entered this year with no guarantees.

The Padres considered adding to their catching group during the offseason. Campusano was out of options. With Freddy Fermin as the projected starter, that would’ve put Campusano’s job in jeopardy.

Instead, the Padres (again) chose to believe in Campusano. They let it ride with their Fermin-Campusano tandem. That duo has been outstanding as the club has made a push toward the postseason in the second half.

“Our catchers defensively are probably the best pairing in baseball probably,” said Walker Buehler, who pitched five innings of one-run ball on Friday night.

Top prospect Ethan Salas has now joined that mix. But Campusano and Fermin are expected to see the bulk of the work down the stretch. (In fact, the Padres’ stability at catcher went a long way toward making them comfortable with Salas’ promotion. They didn’t want to put too much on his plate, too early -- and they won’t be.)

Suddenly, catcher feels like a bona fide strength for the Padres -- an area they can feel comfortable about, as the games get bigger and bigger.

“A lot of work left to do,” Campusano said. “Today, tonight, just enjoy the moment. Get ready to work again tomorrow.”