PHOENIX -- Now that he has homered and stutter-stepped his manner round third base, we are able to say it a bit extra emphatically: Fernando Tatis Jr. is again.

Tatis launched his first Major League dwelling run since 2021 within the prime of the primary inning of the Padres’ recreation in opposition to the D-backs on Saturday night time. With one out and the bases empty, he rotated a belt-high Merrill Kelly fastball and despatched it to the primary row in left at Chase Field to open the scoring.

Tatis returned from his 80-game PED suspension on Thursday night time and had been off to a little bit of a sluggish begin. He went 0-for-5 in his return earlier than notching a single in 4 at-bats on Friday night time.

The receptions for Tatis have been combined this weekend, with numerous Padres followers having made the journey from San Diego to see him play an MLB regular-season recreation for the primary time since Oct. 3, 2021. The cheers have usually drowned out the boos -- they usually definitely did after his first dwelling run.

Those cheers reached a crescendo when Tatis approached third base and carried out his signature dwelling run transfer -- a stutter and a hop. He did so a bit extra emphatically than common. It had been some time.

Tatis’ final dwelling run got here on Sept. 30, 2021. You could bear in mind it because the ball he hit out of Dodger Stadium solely. 

His dwelling run on Saturday was the 82nd of his profession. His first, coincidentally, additionally got here in opposition to Kelly.

Content Source: www.mlb.com