April 9 (UPI) — Fernando Tatis Jr. sent a go-ahead homer screaming over the left field fence to cap off an 8-run comeback, leading the San Diego Padres to a historically dramatic victory over the Chicago Cubs in San Diego.
The Padres trailed 8-0 through the first five innings of the 9-8 victory Monday at Petco Park. They plated seven runs in the sixth inning before Tatis’ heroic hack in the eighth. They tied a franchise record by overcoming the eight-run deficit.
“I couldn’t be more pleased,” Padres manager Mike Shildt told reporters. “It’s not an easy thing to do. We could have easily checked out, but not one guy [did].
“When that score was 8-0, they actually came together more, started talking more and started saying, ‘OK, how are we going to figure this thing out?'”
The Cubs jumped on Padres starter Yu Darvish in the second, courtesy of two-run singles from outfielders Ian Happ and Cody Bellinger.
Bellinger plated catcher Miguel Amaya on a sacrifice fly in the fourth for a 5-0 lead. Third baseman Christopher Morel followed with an RBI double. Shortstop Dansby Swanson hit the next pitch to center for a two-run RBI triple, increasing the Cubs lead to eight.
But the Cubs collected just one more hit over the final five innings.
Neither team scored in the fifth. Tatis then drew a walk from Cubs starter Javier Assad to lead off the bottom of the sixth.
First baseman Jake Cronenworth proceeded to hit a 1-2 Assad fastball to right field for a 419-foot, two-run homer in the next exchange. Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim plated two more runs with a triple to right three at-bats later.
Catcher Luis Campusano cut the deficit to three when he brought home Kim with a ground out in the next exchange.
Second baseman Xander Bogaerts further tightened the game when he ripped a 378-foot, two-run homer off relief pitcher Luke Little later in the inning.
Padres pitcher Enyel De Los Santos retired the Cubs in order in the top of the seventh. Fellow Padres reliever Wandy Peralta allowed just one base runner and no runs in the eighth.
Tatis then came to the plate with two outs, and Merrill on first, in the bottom of the inning. He watched a sinker miss the strike zone for a ball to start that exchange with Cubs pitcher Adbert Alzolay. The right-handed reliever then tossed in an outside slider.
Tatis popped the barrel of his bat into the ball, cracking his lumber into its seams and sending it into the left field seats for his go-ahead, 376-foot two-run homer.
Padres closer Robert Suarez retired the Cubs in order in the top of the ninth to secure the victory and earn his fourth save this season.
Tatis went 1 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. He is now hitting .286 with four home runs and eight RBIs this season.
Left fielder Jurickson Profar was the only player in the game to record multiple hits. He went 2 for 3 with a run scored in the victory.
Bellinger went 1 for 4 with three RBIs for the Cubs. Swanson and Happ drove in two runs apiece in the loss. Assad allowed three hits and two runs over five innings, but was not on record for a decision.
Darvish allowed four hits and four runs over three innings. Peralta, who allowed one hit and no runs in one inning, earned his first win of the season.
The Padres (6-7) will host the Cubs (6-4) in the second game of the series at 10:05 p.m. EDT Tuesday at Petco Park.
