Fernando Tatis Jr. Moves Up San Diego Padres' All-Time Playoff Leaderboards

San Diego Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. blasted a two-run home run in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series against the Atlanta Braves, tying him for the fourth-most postseason homers in franchise history.

Oct 1, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) hits a two run home run against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning in game one of the Wildcard round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park. / Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Fernando Tatis Jr., appearing in just his seventh career playoff game, made history with an explosive display of power on Tuesday.

Tatis got the San Diego Padres on the board in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series, winning his head-to-head battle with Atlanta Braves rookie AJ Smith-Shawver in the bottom of the first inning. The shortstop-turned-right fielder got a hold of the first pitch he saw, crushing a fastball 415 feet to left for a two-run home run.

In addition to sending the Petco Park crowd into a frenzy, Tatis also moved up an exclusive list with his tone-setting bomb.

It marked the third home run of Tatis' playoff career. According to TSN's StatsCentre, that is tied for the fourth-most in franchise history.

Trent Grisham, Wil Myers and Greg Vaughn also hit three playoff homers over the course of their respective Padres careers. Jim Leyritz ranks third with four, just behind Ken Caminiti and his five home runs.

Tatis' teammate, Manny Machado, owns the team's record with six home runs in his 19 postseason appearances since arriving in San Diego. Machado also has more regular season home runs than any other player in Padres history – 167 – despite spending just six seasons with the club.

Most career #Postseason home runs hit by player in @Padres franchise history (1969-present):
6- Manny Machado
5- Ken Caminiti
4- Jim Leyritz
3- Fernando Tatis Jr. (Via his 2-run blast in tonight's 4-0 NLWC Game 1 defeat of the Braves)
3- Greg Vaughn
3- Trent Grisham
3- Wil Myers pic.twitter.com/sY033vSxe6

— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) October 2, 2024

Tatis, who made his MLB debut in 2019, saw his first playoff action in 2020. He hit .455 with two home runs, five RBI and a 1.662 OPS in the NL Wild Card Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, before going just 2-for-11 in the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Padres made the NLCS in 2022, but Tatis was not present for that playoff run. He missed the first few months of that season with a wrist injury, then earned an 80-game suspension for violating MLB's performance-enhancing drug policy.

As a result, Tatis went a full four years between playoff games. He made sure to return to the postseason in style with his home run on Tuesday, which led to a 4-0 win for the Padres.

Tatis hit .276 with 21 home runs, 49 RBI, 11 stolen bases, an .833 OPS and a 2.6 WAR across 102 games in the 2024 regular season. The 25-year-old hit his stride between Sept. 10 and Sept. 26, right after he returned from a two-month stint on the injured list, batting .333 with seven home runs, 12 RBI, three stolen bases and an 1.156 OPS in that 14-game span.

The Padres will look to sweep the Braves on Wednesday, with first pitch for Game 2 scheduled for 8:38 p.m. ET.

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