Padres' 2-out, 7-run, walk-off rally stuns M's

August 27th, 2020

SAN DIEGO -- Don’t write off the 2020 San Diego Padres. 

Down by four, down to their final out and with the bases empty, the Padres stormed back for a thrilling 10-7 victory in Game 1 of Thursday’s doubleheader against the Mariners. Wil Myers capped it with his first career walk-off home run, a booming shot off the third deck of the Western Metal Supply Co. building. 

With two outs in the seventh and final frame, seven consecutive Padres reached base. All seven scored -- the most runs in a walk-off rally in franchise history.

“Down to your last out and nobody on, it’s extremely special,” said manager Jayce Tingler.

Manny Machado homered twice and Fernando Tatis Jr. reclaimed sole possession of the Major League home run lead by visiting the roof of the Western Metal Supply Co. building. The left-side duo tied the score in the sixth with back-to-back blasts off Mariners reliever Matt Magill.

But right-hander Craig Stammen allowed four runs in the top of the seventh without recording an out, putting the game seemingly out of reach. According to FanGraphs, the Padres’ win probability stood at .2 percent when Austin Hedges strode to the plate with two outs.

“It’s just the attitude they have,” Tingler said. “It’s usually 27 outs. Today it was 21 outs. They just kept going. The guys are battling. They’re giving everything they have.”

The rally began when Mariners righty Taylor Williams plunked Hedges -- an auspicious result, considering Hedges’ struggles this season and the red-hot nature of the top of the lineup.

That was the spark the offense needed. Trent Grisham and Tatis followed by working walks after running the count full. That loaded the bases for the red-hot Machado.

Machado, the reigning National League Player of the Week, had already extended his hitting streak to eight games -- during which he is hitting an obscene .563/.611/1.219. In some ways the Mariners could consider themselves lucky, having held Machado, the tying run, to a two-run single.

“He’s dialed in,” Tingler said. “He’s laying off the right pitches, seeing lanes well. He’s seeing spin, seeing the ball extremely well. And he’s just not missing any barrels."

After a passed ball and a wild pitch, Eric Hosmer singled home Machado, tying the game at 7 and setting the stage for Myers’ heroics.

Seattle called on right-hander Dan Altavilla, who promptly surrendered a single to Jake Cronenworth. He followed that by grooving a thigh-high 89-mph slider to Myers, who made no mistake.

“Just all around, offensively, that last inning was pretty cool,” Myers told Fox Sports San Diego. “We never gave up.”