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Jackson Merrill Celebrates New Contract Extension by Crushing Another Home Run

Ryan Phillips

Jackson Merrill hit .292 with 24 home runs for the San Diego Padres in 2024.
Jackson Merrill hit .292 with 24 home runs for the San Diego Padres in 2024. / Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
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Jackson Merrill knows how to celebrate.

Hours after agreeing to a new nine-year, $135 million contract extension with the San Diego Padres, the 21-year-old center fielder blasted a home run to give the Padres a 4-0 lead over the Cleveland Guardians.

The at-bat came against Ben Lively, with two outs in the bottom of the third inning and the Padres already up 2-0. Lively hung a curveball on the first pitch and Merrill clobbered it. He launched it 388 feet into the right field bleachers as the ball came off his bat at 108.5 mph.

It was Merrill's second home run in as many days, as he tattooed one Tuesday night as well.

Merrill had a stellar rookie season in 2024, slashing .292/.326/.500 with 25 home runs and 90 RBIs. He was an All-Star, was named second-team All-MLB and won a Silver Slugger award. He won't turn 22 until April 19.

Merrill's new deal is incredibly team-friendly and helps secure the Padres' future moving forward.

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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.

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