Video of Fernando Tatis game-winning homerun:  https://twitter.com/i/status/1777554014001037587

By Miriam Raftery

April 9, 2024 (San Diego) – Never say never.  Down 8-0 in the sixth inning, the San Diego Padres battled back last night, ultimately winning 9-8 thanks to an eighth inning, two-run homer by Fernando Tatis, Jr.  Tatis credited the epic comeback to teammates “believing in each other.”

The game was the opposite of a pitcher's duel. Padres starter Yu Darvish had a nightmarish outing, giving up four runs in the second inning and exiting the game in the third,   The Cubs went on to score four more runs for a seemingly insurmountable lead.

But in a seemingly miraculous sixth inning,Tatis’ led off with a walk, scoring on a homerun by Jake Cronenworth that also drove out the Cubs’ starting pitcher. The Padres’ onslaught continued with Manny Machado’s grounder bobbled by the Cubs’ shortstop, followed by a single by Jurickson Profar and a triple by Ha-Seong Kim that drove in two more runs.Luis Campusano grounded out but allowed Kim to score. Jackson Merrill singled and scored on a homerun by Xander Bogaerts.

The Padres trailed by just one run, 8-7, when Tatis came up to bat in the eight inning with a runner on base.