San Diego Padres Star Fernando Tatis Jr. Passes Father on All-Time Home Runs List

Fernando Tatis Jr. hit his 114th career home run in Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, bumping the San Diego Padres outfielder one spot above his father, Fernando Tatis Sr.
May 12, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
May 12, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports | Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

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Fernando Tatis Jr. went yard on Mother's Day, besting his father in the process.

In the first inning of the San Diego Padres' series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tatis crushed a no-doubt solo home run to center. It was his eighth of the season and 114th of his big league career.

As noted by MLB Stats, that moved Tatis past his father, Fernando Tatis Sr., on the all-time home runs list. Tatis Sr. hit 113 homers over the course of 11 MLB seasons.

Tatis Jr., on the other hand, is just a quarter of the way through his fifth MLB season.

Tatis Sr. played for the Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, Montreal Expos, Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets between 1997 and 2010. His best season came with the Cardinals in 1999, when he hit .298 with 34 home runs, 107 RBI, 21 stolen bases, a .957 OPS and a 3.0 WAR.

For his career, Tatis Sr. was a .265 hitter with a .785 OPS and a 6.3 WAR.

Tatis Jr. has been a star ever since he finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2019. He went on to win Silver Sluggers and place top-four in NL MVP voting in each of the next two seasons, signing a 14-year, $340 million contract in the middle of that stretch.

A wrist injury and PED suspension wound up costing Tatis the entire 2022 season, and his numbers took a bit of a hit in 2023. He still hit .257 with 25 home runs, 78 RBI, 29 stolen bases, a .770 OPS and a 5.5 WAR, though, in addition to winning his first career Gold Glove.

Tatis Jr. is batting .259 with eight home runs, 22 RBI, six stolen bases, a .789 OPS and a 1.1 WAR through 43 games in 2024.

The Padres currently lead the Dodgers 3-0 in the fifth inning. The two sides split the first two games down in San Diego, so Sunday's winner will claim victory in the series.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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