SAN DIEGO — On their way to a historic NLDS riot last October, the Padres did without Fernando Tatis Jr. They stunned the baseball world nonetheless, dethroning the 111-win NL West Champion Dodgers in four games and turning this once one-sided rivalry squarely on its head.
But now that Tatis is back, the dynamic has so obviously shifted. The padres don’t stun anyone. They too are one of the sport’s juggernauts in 2023, viewed by many forecasters as favorites to win the division. This is what they looked like on Friday night.
Tatis’ return to the Padres-Dodgers rivalry was, of course, dramatic. (Damn, it’s his rivalry just like any other. Was Padres-Dodgers even a thing before Tatis arrived?) He scored twice against Clayton Kershaw in a 5-2 win in San Diego – a superb drive left to center , tying the game in the third and a laser in the left seats to put the Padres ahead in the fifth.
It was only the ninth time in Kershaw’s illustrious career that a single hitter has hit him deep twice in the same game. Tatis is the only player to have done this twice. In fact, the last player with a multihomer game before the likely Hall of Fame-bound Dodgers left-hander was… Tatis himself, almost 25 months ago.
“He’s one of the best of all time,” said Tatis. “When you face a guy like that, I’m sure you give 100 percent that day.”
Meanwhile, Tatis naturally missed the entire 2022 season, first through injury, then due to an 80-game PED suspension that expired just last month. Tatis hadn’t quite looked his way to the plate in his first two weeks, but the Padres nonetheless thrived with him back in their lineup. They went 8-4 on Friday since Tatis’ return and played their best baseball of the season.
But when Tatis returned in Arizona two weeks ago, on Friday night, he really was back. His fifth-inning homer left his bat at 110.8 mph and immediately landed in the seats. Tatis dropped his bat, then hopped a few times before turning to the dugout and letting out a yell. That was Tatis in his element.
“That boy, man,” said shortstop Xander Bogaerts. “He’s very special.”
Bogaerts made his own introduction to the rivalry on Friday with two walks and an RBI groundout. As a team, the Padres worked five walks against Kershaw and 11 overall — a franchise record in a game against the Dodgers.
Throw Bogaerts’ off-season arrival at Tatis’ return and the Padres have every reason to believe the rivalry has ended. A year ago, the Dodgers won all six regular-season series. They won the West by 22 games.
But the script flipped in October, and the Padres have since added two stars to the lineup that defeated the Dodgers eight months ago.
“We can win against anyone,” said Tatis.
Aided by Tatis’ two homers, Yu Darvish was excellent on Friday night, throwing 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) and hitting six.
Darvish got into trouble in the first two innings. Mookie Betts walked and scored in the first before Darvish avoided further damage. In the second, after Miguel Vargas’ three, Ha-Seong Kim snapped David Peralta’s liner and fired into third for a double at the end of the inning.
From there, Darvish was dominant, pulling back the next 12 batters he faced while leaning heavily on his two-seamer.
“You didn’t have anywhere near his best stuff in the first inning,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said. “And then all of a sudden you look up and he’s in the seventh. … It was a complete turnaround.”
“They were super loud,” Tatis said. “You brought it today. It was just amazing – great vibes… and great baseball to play like that.”
These two teams will meet 12 more times during the regular season. Maybe they’ll play a few more games in October. If last season is any indication, the Padres should know the score won’t be settled in May. However, the Dodgers still have a one-game lead overall.
But the Padres won Round 1. In many ways it was more of the same, their fourth straight win over Los Angeles dating back to the NLDS. Except this time they had a certain boastful Superstar at the top of their lineup again.