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San Diego Padres Rookie Does Something Never Done in Baseball History on Wednesday

The San Diego Padres beat the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday thanks to a history-making effort from rookie Jackson Merrill, who continues to impress.

Brady Farkas

San Diego Padres center ielder Jackson Merrill (3) in the on deck circle against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the sixth inning at PNC Park on Aug 7.
San Diego Padres center ielder Jackson Merrill (3) in the on deck circle against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the sixth inning at PNC Park on Aug 7. / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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The San Diego Padres beat the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night by a score of 9-8 in extra-innings. It was a big win for the Padres, who are now 63-52 and tied for the top spot in the National League wild card picture.

San Diego got multi-hit efforts in the offensive game from Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado, Donovan Solano and Kyle Higashioka, but no one stood out more than rookie Jackson Merrill, who went 4-for-6 with three runs scored, two home runs and three RBI.

He also made history by becoming the first player ever to accomplish this specific feat, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

Jackson Merrill is the first player with multiple multi-homer games that also included a game-tying or go-ahead HR in the 9th or later at age 21 or younger

h/t @EliasSports

Merrill homered in the ninth inning to tie the game off closer David Bednar, sending it to extras in the first place.

It's been a great rookie season for Merrill, who is pushing to be in the Rookie of the Year conversation. At just the age of 21, he's hitting .288 with 15 homers, 59 RBI and 11 stolen bases. He's posted a .785 OPS and is hitting .368 over his last 15 games.

Originally a shortstop, Merrill moved to center field this season to help accommodate the Padres, who had traded away Juan Soto and Trent Grisham in the offseason.

The Padres will be back in action on Thursday when they take on the Pirates again at 12:35 p.m. ET.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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