Fernando Tatis Jr. Ends 207-At-Bat Homer Drought With 451-Foot Shot as Padres Lose 9-4
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 31
Fernando Tatis Jr. Ends 207-At-Bat Homer Drought With 451-Foot Shot as Padres Lose 9-4
13 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 31
451 feet off Foster Griffin ended Fernando Tatis Jr.'s 207-at-bat home run drought Saturday, his first homer since Sept. 27 and a solo shot in the fifth inning against Washington.
The blast snapped a 55-game homerless start to the season, the second-longest such streak ever for a player who has had a 40-homer season, behind Carl Yastrzemski's 57 games in 1972.
Tatis finished 2-for-5 with an RBI and said he knew the ball was gone immediately, while teammate Xander Bogaerts said finally getting "one" should ease the pressure that had built around his zero-homer start.
Washington still beat San Diego 9-4, leaving the three-time All-Star at .271 with a .670 OPS, six doubles, one triple and one home run.
Is Tatis Jr.'s slump-ending homer a sign of a real comeback or just a statistical fluke in his season-long struggle?
Despite the milestone, the Padres lost badly. Can one player's turnaround spark a struggling team's entire offense?