Manny Machado gives verdict on Fernando Tatis Jr.'s double home-run game vs Cubs
Fernando Tatis Jr. put in a standout performance for the San Diego Padres during Monday's win over the Chicago Cubs and earned some huge praise from teammate Manny Machado.
The 26-year-old Dominican blasted two home runs on to night to take his tally to six for the season as San Diego recorded a 10-4 win to take their winning streak to five games. The Padres are having one of the best starts to an MLB season in franchise history, and Machado pointed out that Tatis Jr. and the home crowd have played a huge role.
Tatis put the Padres on the board with a solo homer in the third inning before Michael Busch replied for the Cubs with a two-run moonshot. However, the Padres' offence came to life in the sixth inning, with RBIs from Jose Iglesias and Jason Heyward putting them back on top. After a two-run single from Gavin Sheets in the seventh, Tatis Jr. took the game away with a two-run home run in the eighth inning.
Throughout the game, the home crowd at Petco Park was at their loudest and Tatis Jr. stepped up for them. After the game, Machado praised both during an interview with "MartyTimeTV":
(from 2:28 mark onwards)
"It was impressive today. That was some nice at bats, hopefully he [Tatis] continues doing that. That was huge, I mean that's vintage Tatis right there when I saw him come up as a 19-year-old," Machado said.
"He's been playing really good baseball for us this year and obviously we all know what he can do on the ball field and what he does for this ball club. Whenever he brings that energy, the crowd feeds off of it, we feed off of it and we just dominate," he added.
After Monday's win, Fernando Tatis Jr. has a .361 average with six home runs, 12 RBIs and 22 hits so far this season. The Padres are top of the NL West with a 14-3 record as they aim to secure their series against the Cubs in the next two days.
Fernando Tatis Jr. voices appreciation to 47,000+ fans at Petco Park during Monday's win vs. Cubs
Petco Park is renowned for being one of the best ballparks in the country, both for its capacity and atmosphere. They proved it once again as over 47,000 were in attendance for Monday's game against the Cubs. Speaking to Sam Levitt after the game, Fernando Tatis Jr. gave a shoutout to the fans:
“It’s beautiful what’s going on right here. It's a Monday and look how this ballpark is.”
The Padres remain unbeated in their home stadium with a 11-0 record at Petco Park so far this season. Both the players and fans will hope to continue this run as long as possible.