Shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. wasn’t the only Padre to make news Thursday with his youth on Opening Day.
Starting pitcher Eric Lauer fell three days short of giving the Padres’ two youngest Opening Day starters.
At 20 years and 85 days old, Tatis is the Padres’ youngest Opening Day starter in franchise history, the fifth youngest player ever to play for the Padres and the youngest since future Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar (20 years, 77 days) made his Major League debut on April 22, 1988.
Tatis was also the Major League’s youngest Opening Day starter since Adrian Beltre in 1999 – and the eighth-youngest Opening Day, starting position player since 1950.
Tatis went 2-for-3 in the Padres 2-0 win over the Giants at Petco Park. He was the youngest player with two hits on Opening Day since Robin Yount in 1975 and the first 20-year-old with an Opening Day hit since Bryce Harper and Manny Machado in 2013.
Left-hander Lauer threw six shutout innings as the second-youngest (23 years, 298 days) Opening Day starting pitcher in Padres history to Clay Kirby (23 years, 295 days) in 1972. Lauer was also the youngest pitcher to throw six shutout innings on opening day since Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers in 2011.
NOTEBOOK:
--Thursday’s 2-0 win over the Giants in the season opener ended a Padres’ four-game losing streak on Opening Day. It also marks the first time the Padres aver over .500 since June 8, 2015, when they had a 30-29 record. In 589 straight games at .500 or below, the Padres went 249-340.
--Over the past three seasons, the Padres have gone a combined 30-51 in the first month of the season.
--Speaking of young, the Padres’ season-opening rotation of Eric Lauer, Joey Lucchesi, Nick Margevicius, Chris Paddack and Matt Strahm averages 24 years and 216 days. Margevicius and Paddack are rookies with no Major League experience. Lauer has less than a full season’s experience while Lucchesi has a season and Strahm has never been a full-time starter in the Major Leagues.
--Lauer and Friday night Padres’ starter Joey Lucchesi were the first two pitchers from the 2016 draft to reach the Major Leagues in 2018. Lauer was one of three, first-round picks (25th overall) the Padres had in 2016. Lucchesi was a fourth-round pick. Lauer was drafted out of Kent State University, Lucchesi out of Southeast Missouri State.