Fernando Tatis Jr Reacts to Epic Padres Comeback
The San Diego Padres pulled off one of the best comebacks in franchise history on Monday, rallying late in the game to erase an 8-0 deficit against the Chicago Cubs for a 9-8 win. The Cubs took a lead early in the game, scoring four runs in the second inning. They then doubled their total with another four scores in the fourth inning.
Meanwhile, the Padres were held completely scoreless through the first five innings of the game. Then, San Diego exploded in the sixth inning with seven runs to get them within one score of tying the game up. The Padres would score two more runs in the eighth inning, and hold the Cubs scoreless through the final five innings of the game.
The Padres were fired up after the comeback, including Fernando Tatis Jr., who hit the game-winning two-run home run for the Padres in the eighth inning.
“Not going to get tired of saying this,” Tatis Jr. said, via Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “We’re never out of the game, and we just keep moving that line and we’re trusting each other.”
This comeback is emblematic of the Padres' mentality to not give up, even when they easily could have since they were down eight runs. Instead, the lineup rallied for the comeback. Tatis, Xander Bogaerts, and Jake Cronenworth each hit a home run, while Ha-Seong Kim also recorded two RBIs and Luis Campusano had one RBI.
“It was amazing,” Tatis Jr. said, via Acee. “All credit to the boys. We were down 8-0 and we were never out of the game. We kept building. We kept taking good at-bats against tough pitches and the boys just executed, and we started moving the line and kept believing in each other. That was just the final blow.”
The Padres face the Cubs again on Tuesday.