Fernando Tatis Jr. returns to the playoffs with a 4-0 win with a 2-run homer for the Padres.

Associated Press

SAN DIEGO (AP) – Fernando Tatis Jr. and his swagger are back in the playoffs with a bang.

The 25-year-old San Diego star hit a huge two-run homer in his first playoff outing in four seasons to give the Padres a 2-0 lead against rookie AJ ​​Smith-Shawver and Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the Wild Card. Tuesday night series. The Padres won 4-0.

The first-inning hit traveled 415 yards into the second deck in left field at Petco Park and sent the sellout crowd of 47,647 into a towel-waving frenzy. The dreadlocked Dominican, who always played with flair, watched the ball go, tossed his bat aside, motioned to the home dugout and took his stuttering stride around third base.

“I knew it was going to go out,” Tatis said. “I didn’t know it was going to land on the second deck just because of how high it was.”

He slipped a little on the swing.

“But I was fortunate enough to get my at-bats where I wanted them. And the next thing we know, the ball was in the stands,” Tatis said.

The son of a former big leaguer, Tatis missed about 2 1/2 months this season with a stress reaction in his right thigh. He returned in early September and finished the regular season with 21 homers and a .276 average.

He hit a home run on a 94-mph four-run drive by the 21-year-old Smith-Shawver, one of the Braves’ top prospects. He was making his first playoff start and just his second this season.

Luis Arraez was aboard on a leadoff single. Arraez, acquired in a trade with Miami in early May, became the first player since the 1800s to win batting titles with three teams.

Right-hander Michael King, who earned his first playoff start brilliantly, said he’s sitting in the dugout with catcher Kyle Higashioka.

“I couldn’t see Tati and I heard her,” King said. “And because the crack of the bat was louder than the fans, you knew he was hit really hard. And then I looked up and I thought he was coming out of the stadium. The thing was pureed.

“It was huge for me and my offense to get a two-run lead right after the first inning,” said King, who struck out 12, walked no others and allowed just five hits. “And it’s also huge to get Tati because he’s going to be a huge piece for us this postseason.”

Padres manager Mike Shildt said the homer “was pretty special. He said it right from the start, laser to the left. And Tati didn’t waste time. I got a pitch you can hit and put a big boy swing on it. It was huge to lift us up.”

Tatis experienced his first postseason game with fans in the stands. His first play-offs were in 2020, after the season shortened by the pandemic. He missed San Diego’s run to the 2022 NL Championship Series after receiving an 80-game performance-enhancing suspension from MLB in August.

“It’s a beautiful energy,” Tatis said. “I like this kind of situation. It definitely brings out the best in me. And I look forward to many more experiences like this.”

His home run came on the one-year anniversary of his two-game homer in the 2020 Wild Card Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Shildt, in his first season managing the Padres, was then the captain of the St. Louis.

Fans were not allowed to enter then because of the pandemic. Petco Park was sold out on Tuesday night, as it has been for most of the regular season.

“It’s very rewarding. It’s one of the greatest sights the game can bring to a baseball player,” Tatis said of the welcome he received as he ran down right field to start the game. “Just driving your crowd crazy is what we dream about as kids. Hitting a home run in a clutch spot in a postseason means something is definitely what you’re working on. And these are definitely memories you will cherish forever.”

Tatis was an All-Star at shortstop in 2021. He was moved to right field in 2023 and won both an NL Gold Glove and a Platinum Glove Award.

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