SAN DIEGO -- Randy Vásquez wasn’t always afforded moments like this one last summer. As well as he pitched, Vásquez’s leash was almost always short in 2025.
But on Saturday night, with two outs and the tying run coming to the plate in the sixth inning, pitching coach Ruben Niebla emerged for a quick word, then retreated to the dugout. Vásquez would be entrusted with the final out -- and he promptly rewarded that trust.
Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson hit a sharp grounder to third base. Manny Machado went the short way to second. Vásquez had escaped the threat, completing six outstanding innings, as the Padres picked up a 3-0 win over Detroit on Saturday night at Petco Park, their first win of the season and the first in the tenure of new manager Craig Stammen.
It was only one start for Vásquez. But it’s hard to overstate the importance of it: If this is the Randy Vásquez the Padres are going to get in 2026, it will go a long way toward alleviating their rotation concerns.
Vásquez’s fastball velocity continued to tick up, as it had toward the end of last season. His four seamer averaged 95 mph, and his sinker 95.5. He also continued another very encouraging trend from down the stretch last season: He’s still missing bats. Vásquez induced 13 whiffs. He punched out eight Tigers -- more than all but one start last year.
The Padres gave Vásquez a lead with a two-out rally in the third inning. Freddy Fermin, Jake Cronenworth and Fernando Tatis Jr. put together three consecutive two-out singles. They tacked on another run via a throwing error and an RBI groundout.
That was plenty enough for Vásquez. He allowed just two hits across six innings. Kyle Hart pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth. Mason Miller slammed the door in the ninth.