SAN DIEGO -- When the Padres signed Eric Hosmer to a franchise-record eight-year deal during the offseason, they surely envisioned him hitting majestic home runs into the San Diego night.
The first -- of what they hope is many -- was a memorable one.
Hosmer's ninth-inning blast off Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen on Tuesday sparked a rally that tied the game at 3 and sent it to extra innings before the Padres ultimately lost, 7-3, in the 12th. Having struck out in each of his first three at-bats, Hosmer made no mistake in the ninth.
He crushed a towering 110-mph drive into the left-center-field bullpen on an 0-1 cutter from Jansen. It was his second homer this season and his first at home. He's gone deep at Petco Park before, however -- as a Royal, as a member of Team USA in the World Baseball Classic and as an American League All-Star.
Now he can add "as a Padre" to that list.
"That was definitely cool," Hosmer said. "Obviously I was just looking to get some kind of hit, some kind of contact, something like that. It was a good swing, got us back in the game."
Hosmer's homer cut the deficit to one, and the Padres would tie the game four batters later on Chase Headley's pinch-hit RBI double.
But Headley was stranded on second when Austin Hedges struck out swinging, and the Padres left the bases loaded in the 10th, before the Dodgers finally broke through for four in the 12th.
"To get two off of Kenley says a lot for a team, for an offense," Hosmer said. "We just couldn't come up with the big one in the end, and against teams like this, you can't miss on those opportunities."