Padres News: Slam Diego Finally Lives Up to Nickname in 2023

Finally.

It took 120 games, but the San Diego Padres finally decided to live up to the nickname they gave themselves in 2020.

In the bottom of the first inning of Tuesday's 10-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles, Gary Sanchez came up with the bases loaded and two outs. On a 1-1 pitch, he did something that no Padre had done this season.

Sanchez went the other way and hit his 16th home run of the year — this one the biggest — giving the Padres their first grand slam of the 2023 season.

GARY SLAM-CHEZ#BringTheGold pic.twitter.com/WrExi6mlgu

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 16, 2023

In 2020, the Padres coined the nickname "Slam Diego" after hitting a grand slam in four straight games. In the 60-game season, they led the league with seven grand slams.

While that nickname has carried over into the past couple seasons, this year, they struggled to live up to it.

However, finally, after 120 games, Sanchez decided to bring it back.

It took 120 games, but the Padres have their first grand slam of 2023. Gary Sánchez cracked an opposite-field shot just after Jake Cronenworth — who hit the Padres' last grand slam of 2022 - drew a bases-loaded walk.

— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) August 16, 2023

While the grand slam was fun, more importantly, it catapulted the Padres to an important win as they chase the NL Wild Card race.

After a dominant 10-3 win on Tuesday, all eyes will be on the Padres on Wednesday, as they hope to finally put in multiple strong efforts in a row.

We'll see if they have some more Slam Diego magic, too.