SAN DIEGO -- William Myers was well aware of his history against Johnny Cueto. And he knew it wasn't pretty.
The Padres first baseman entered Sunday's game -- a 5-3 loss to San Francisco -- with just one hit in 17 plate appearances against the Giants right-hander.
So when Myers turned on Cueto's 0-1 fastball in the bottom of the sixth and put it into the first level of the Western Metal Bulding, his first thought wasn't to celebrate. His first thought was to throw his bat to the side and shout one word: "Finally."
"It was more just beating Cueto," Myers said of his reaction. "He was a guy that had me 1-for-17 last year, and I was just excited to beat him. He's such a great pitcher. I was glad I stayed with my approach off him."
• Myers slams bat after booming homer
Of course, Myers isn't the only Padres hitter to be baffled by Cueto over the past couple of seasons. Last year, Cueto threw three complete games against San Diego.
In that sense, Myers saw a positive in the Padres' late-game at-bats and their ability to chase the crafty Giants right-hander.
"Everyone had good at-bats today," said Myers. "He pitched pretty well in the beginning, but our second and third time through, we saw him a lot better. I liked where we were offensively today against a great pitcher."
Myers has long heard talk of Petco Park playing friendly to pitchers. He's made it very clear he doesn't buy it.
"I see the ball really well here," Myers said. "I like the batter's eye. At night, the lights are really good here. Everybody has talked about this as a pitcher's ballpark. I've personally never seen it that way."
His own numbers in San Diego back that assertion. Last year, Myers set the single-season record for home runs at Petco Park with 18. He batted .306/.385/.569 at home last year and is off to a nice start to the 2017 season.
"He definitely loves the home crowd," said Padres manager Andy Green. "He feeds off it."