Fastball

San Diego Padres' Rookie Has Heartwarming Reaction to Home Run on Friday

The San Diego Padres routed the Boston Red Sox on Friday night at Fenway Park and after the game, rookie Jackson Merrill provided an awesome answer about his performance.

Brady Farkas

San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill (3) runs the bases after hitting a three-run home run during the fifth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on June 28.
San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill (3) runs the bases after hitting a three-run home run during the fifth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on June 28. / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
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Baseball is a business. Sometimes it can be a cruel business. As you get older, you begin to realize this even more.

But every once in a while, something in baseball happens that reminds you that this is a kid's game. And it's really refreshing to see that when it happens.

That exact situation happened on Friday night when San Diego Padres' rookie Jackson Merrill gave an incredibly heartwarming answer about hitting a home run at Fenway Park.

Per Padres' writer AJ Cassavell on social media:

Jackson Merrill, childhood Red Sox fan, on homering at Fenway Park: "I don't usually like to talk about something I do. I like talking about the wins and stuff. But that was probably the dopest moment of my baseball career."

The Padres beat the Red Sox 9-2 as Merrill went 1-for-5 with that three-run homer. The 21-year-old, who converted from infield to outfield for this season, has made a big impact for San Diego. He's hitting .282 with 11 homers, 40 RBI and nine stolen bases. He's put himself right in the middle of the National League Rookie of the Year conversation and is a big reason why the Padres are 45-41 and currently occupying a playoff spot in the NL.

The Padres and Red Sox will play again on Saturday afternoon with first pitch set for 4:10 p.m. ET. Former Yankees' pitcher Michael King will get the ball for San Diego while Tanner Houck pitches for Boston.

King is 5-5 with a 3.75 ERA while Houck is 7-5 with a 2.18.

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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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