Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. makes eye-opening admission after 7-4 win vs. Braves
03/27/2025 10:29 PM
The San Diego Padres faced a challenging offseason for a second year in a row, as trade rumors swirled and key players like Jurickson Profar and Ha-Seong Kim departed in free agency. But it is important to remember how much talent this roster still possesses. Star power beamed throughout Petco Park on Opening Day, as the Friars pulled out a hard-earned 7-4 win versus the Atlanta Braves.
Fernando Tatis Jr. will command much of the local headlines, following an outing in which he went 3-for-4 at the plate, stole two bases and scored two runs. Fans know what the two-time Silver Slugger and two-time All-Star can do to a baseball, but his speed is the most notable takeaway to come out of game No. 1.
He stole 25 and 29 bags in the 2021 and 2023 campaigns, respectively, but recorded just 11 in 102 games last year. He is feeling healthy and spry to begin 2025, however, which means MLB might witness the electric 26-year-old’s full powers. A stress reaction in his right thighbone cost Tatis more than two months of action and hampered him throughout the year.
He spoke on using his legs more after spending a significant amount of time on the injured list in 2024. “I really missed it, you know,” Tatis said after the victory, per The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Annie Heilbrunn. “And really happy where I’m at, and happy I’m capable of doing it again. … I mean, last year I was standing on one leg.”
Padres were at full force vs. Braves
If the 2023 Platinum Gold Glove winner can stay aggressive on the basepaths, he will have a great chance to show why he was once tabbed as a future MVP. Of course, Fernando Tatis Jr. is hardly the only big-time performer in the Padres’ lineup. Manny Machado had a two-steal and multi-hit showing himself, while National League Rookie of the Year runner-up Jackson Merrill recorded four RBIs.
San Diego put together a successful outing against reigning Cy Young Chris Sale, erupted for a game-breaking, four-run seventh inning and hung on for an Opening Day triumph after the bullpen did not allow a single Braves’ hit in the final four innings of play. It was a long offseason, and a long regular season is to come, but spirits are high on 100 Park Boulevard on this day.
The vibes should remain good as long as Tatis and the Padres are racing around the bases and amassing wins.
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