NEW YORK -- Fernando Tatis Jr. is a two-time Platinum Glove Award winner in right field with a catalog full of brilliant defensive plays -- home run robberies, in particular.
This one might have been his all-time best.
In the second inning of the Padres’ game against the Mets at Citi Field on Tuesday night, Tatis robbed Francisco Lindor of a grand slam with an incredible leaping grab down the right-field line.
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.
In a vacuum, the play was undeniably spectacular. But the stakes were huge, too. The Padres are fighting for playoff position, and Tatis had already given them a 1-0 lead with his 18th career leadoff home run to start the game. Starter Robbie Ray proceeded to load the bases in the second.