NEW YORK -- Of all places, of course Fernando Tatis Jr. did it here.
Where else would he turn in arguably the best game of his big league career? Where else would he author perhaps his most dazzling home run robbery in an already full catalog -- taking a grand slam away from Francisco Lindor?
Where it all began, of course.
Nearly two decades ago, Tatis spent his summers in his father’s first-floor apartment in Queens, about 15 minutes from Citi Field, where his dad played for the Mets. Their complex had a wall that was just a bit taller than he was. So Tatis Jr. did what any 10-year-old kid would do.
That’s where he began perfecting the art of the home run robbery. That’s where he presumably began dreaming of moments like this one.
“I used to hit the ball off the wall and jump over the wall to try and get it,” Tatis recalled, following the Padres’ 5-2 victory over the Mets on Tuesday night. “I also remember all the times I didn't catch it. So I had to jump over the wall, go get it and then come back."
“It's a great memory. You see it through. It's definitely a dream come true as a kid. Man, that's why we play this game.”
For nights like this one. Tatis launched a Statcast-protected 452-foot moonshot to the second deck in left-center field on the first pitch of the game. In the fifth, he launched an impressive opposite-field two-run homer.
But it’s what came in between that had Citi Field -- and the baseball world -- buzzing. Tatis ranged to the wall, near the 330-foot sign in the right-field corner. In one motion, he leapt and stretched his glove beyond the fence as his hat went flying. For a brief moment, the stadium went quiet, wondering where, exactly, the baseball had landed.
Tatis paused. Then, he let everyone know. He flipped the ball from his glove hand to his bare hand and held it, capping what will certainly go down as one of the signature plays of his career.
“He doesn’t just do it,” said Padres manager Craig Stammen. “He does it with a flair.”
Tatis is a two-time Platinum Glove Award winning right fielder and has turned in his share of incredible defensive plays. Home run robberies in particular. He had four in a span of 27 home games at Petco Park last year. Earlier this season, he robbed Rafael Devers for the second year in a row (in eerily similar circumstances both times).
This was his favorite. Asked where he’d rank it …
“I would say top one,” Tatis said. “Not because of the play itself. Just because of the situation, where we're at. Our guy's grinding on the mound, trying to make pitches. Just taking off a grand slam right there -- that's a game-changer.”
The play was undeniably spectacular. Even without the context, it might have been Tatis’ best. But the stakes were huge, too.
The Padres are fighting for playoff position. Tatis had given them a 1-0 lead with his 18th career leadoff home run to begin the game. Starter Robbie Ray, who was still looking to find his footing after being traded to San Diego earlier this month, loaded the bases with two outs in the second.
Tatis ensured that Ray would escape the inning unscathed. From the mound, Ray clearly couldn’t tell whether Tatis had made the play. When Tatis showed the baseball, Ray put his glove on his head and his jaw dropped in disbelief. (In other words, he was all of us.)
“It caught me by surprise, for sure,” said Ray, who secured his first Padres victory with six innings of one-run ball. “I knew he made a good jump at it. But I didn’t know until he raised the ball up that he caught it. That’s when I just threw my hands over my head. It was just amazing.”
Three innings later, Tatis launched an opposite-field two-run homer, giving the Padres a 3-0 lead. He’d created all three of those runs and taken four off the board -- essentially a seven-run swing.
“It’s up there as one of the most impactful [games] he’s had as a Padre, for sure,” Stammen said. “You look at how many runs he created and then how many runs he took away. That’s a pretty big number. They talk about plus-minus in the NBA and hockey. That was a big plus-minus game for Tatis tonight.”
Tatis’ leadoff home run traveled 452 feet, making him the only player in baseball this season with four homers of at least 450 feet. Not bad for a guy who didn’t hit his first home run of the season until May 30.
But even when Tatis was struggling to tap into his power, he was making a difference with his other four tools -- and especially with his glove. Now, he’s reached 15 home runs and has re-established himself as the type of player capable of doing just about anything on a baseball field.
Whether it’s hitting home runs … or robbing them.
So, which does he prefer?
“It's a tough [question],” Tatis said. “But the robbery today was more fun than the two homers.”