San Diego Padres Catcher Kyle Higashioka Joins Exclusive List With Dominant Inning
Kyle Higashioka, one of the key pieces the Padres got from the Yankees in the Juan Soto trade, hit a home run and threw out two runners in a single inning on Wednesday.
In the fourth inning of the San Diego Padres' showdown with the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday, catcher Kyle Higashioka made history.
It all started when Higashioka gunned down left fielder Brendan Donovan, who was trying to steal second. The strike 'em out, throw 'em out put the Cardinals at a disadvantage, although they would still plate a run across two batters later.
Third baseman Nolan Arenado tried to steal second as well to extend the rally, only to get thrown out by Higashioka to end the frame.
Higashioka would have had a valuable inning if it stopped there, but he happened to be due up second in the bottom of the inning.
The 33-year-old catcher worked his way to a full count against St. Louis starter Zack Thompson, then crushed a solo home run to left to put the Padres up 3-1. It was Higashioka's first home run of the 2024 season and his first in a San Diego uniform.
According to OptaSTATS, Higashioka is now one of two catchers to throw out multiple runners and hit a home run in the same inning over the last 45 MLB seasons. The last player to accomplish the feat was Anaheim Angels backstop Bengie Molina, who did it in the second inning against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on June 13, 2000.
Higashioka was one of the only veteran pieces the Padres got in return when they traded superstar outfielder Juan Soto to the New York Yankees in December.
After being a part-time member of the Yankees' roster from 2017 to 2020, Higashioka took on the backup catcher role in New York from 2021 to 2023. He hit exactly 10 home runs in each of those three seasons, batting .217 with a .660 OPS in that span.
Luis Campusano has been serving as the Padres' starting catcher thus far in 2024, while Higashioka has earned two starts through the first eight games of the regular season.
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