San Diego Padres' Leader Makes Baseball History of the Last Decade on Saturday

The San Diego Padres lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night but Fernando Tatis Jr. made some recent baseball history.

San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) celebrates after winning the Wildcard round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park on Oct 2. / Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Saturday was a tough night for the San Diego Padres, who lost the opener of the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Padres lost 7-5 despite getting three runs in the top of the first inning. Simply put, when you take 3-0 leads in playoff games, you are supposed to be able to hold them.

But the Padres couldn't, as Dylan Cease surrendered three runs of his own in the bottom of the second. The Padres came back to take a 5-3 lead in the third, but the Dodgers came back again, scoring three times in the bottom of the fourth.

So, here's what happened for the Padres: The Dodgers proved they could get to Cease, the Padres had to go deep into their bullpen early on, and they have less answers on the pitching staff in the wake of Joe Musgrove's impending Tommy John surgery.

If you're looking for positives for San Diego, it's that Manny Machado hit a two-run homer and Xander Bogaerts cracked a two-run double.

Furthermore, Fernando Tatis Jr. set a modern playoff record, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

Fernando Tatis Jr.’s double was 118.9 mph

-the 2nd-hardest-hit ball in the postseason under Statcast tracking (2015) [2022 NLCS G1 Schwarber 119.7 mph HR]

- the hardest-hit ball of Tatis’ career (incl postseason)

Fernando Tatis Jr.’s double was 118.9 mph

-the 2nd-hardest-hit ball in the postseason under Statcast tracking (2015) [2022 NLCS G1 Schwarber 119.7 mph HR]

- the hardest-hit ball of Tatis’ career (incl postseason)

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 6, 2024

Tatis Jr. went 2-for-4 in the defeat.

The two teams will play again on Sunday night with first pitch coming at 8:03 p.m. ET. Yu Darvish will pitch for San Diego against Jack Flaherty.

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