Tati's HR highlights the big inning in the Padres' Game 3 win over the Dodgers

SAN DIEGO – For Fernando Tatis Jr., baseball in its purest form takes place at home in the Dominican Republic, in the loud stadiums and tense atmosphere unique to what is colloquially known as winter ball. Tatis plays there every chance he gets, even in years when the grueling Major League Baseball season wears out his body. He enjoys it. In a way, Tatis has often expressed, it gives him life. And so it's perhaps no surprise that Tatis was there for his first real playoff experience. The electricity from it strengthened him.

“I feed off that kind of energy,” Tatis said after helping his San Diego Padres to a 6-5 victory in Game 3 and a 2-1 lead over the National League rival Los Angeles Dodgers Division Series scored. “When the fans come, meaningful games, you leave everything you've got out there – I just feel like I take it to another level. My mindset, my body – everything just goes through the roof.”

Tatis' most recent home run, the highlight of a six-run second inning, was his fourth in five games in these playoffs, tying Jim Leyritz in 1998 and Manny Machado in 2022 for the most in a single postseason in Padres history . Although Tatis didn't reach base in his other three at-bats on Tuesday night, he posted an OPS of 1.970 during that span. According to ESPN Research, he joins Carlos Beltran, who joined the Houston Astros in October 2024, as the second player to record at least 10 hits and four home runs in the first five postseason games.

“Man, he’s really seeing the ball big right now,” Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts said in Spanish. “He does some incredible things. We obviously know he has outstanding talent. We know that. He's a great kid, he works hard. I've seen that since I've been here. “He's had injuries, but he's worked hard to get back here.” And he's doing some really incredible things right now.

The big inning that ultimately helped the Padres win showcased the identity of their offense. They shortened their swings to take advantage of the vastness of their sprawling ballpark and strung together six singles. They did the little things well, especially Machado, who got slightly off the base path to block an errant throw from Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman. They excelled at situational hitting, with Kyle Higashioka lifting a deep fly ball to score a run. They produced with runners in scoring position, this time with David Peralta, who hit a two-run double down the right field line. And then they had great success.

Tatis made sure of that by firing an 0-2 fastball from Walker Buehler that sailed right over the middle of the plate, sending it 398 feet to left-center field. Tatis stood in the batter's box until the baseball bounced off the left-field scoreboard, then he circled the bases cheering, channeling the energy of 47,744 fans – a Petco Park record – who were in hysterics.

“Man,” Tatis said, “when I hit him, I don’t know, I just fainted.”

The Dodgers were just within it when Teoscar Hernandez's fly ball went over the center field fence for a grand slam in the third inning. But a vaunted Padres bullpen didn't allow them to get any closer. Jeremiah Estrada, Jason Adam, Tanner Scott and Robert Suarez relieved an ineffective Michael King and combined for four scoreless innings, allowing just one baserunner and striking out six batters.

The Padres, the aggressor since the All-Star break, will look for the knockout blow in Game 4, starting Dylan Cease on short rest. The Dodgers, who are sorely lacking starting pitching, will counter with a bullpen game. The Dodgers are winning their 11th division title in 12 years, but lost the season series to the Padres for the first time since 2010 and are currently noticeably broken. Their shortstop, Miguel Rojas, left early after aggravating a torn adductor muscle, which he continues to play through. Freeman, their first baseman and No. 3 hitter, continues to look hobbled while playing with a sprained right ankle.

Also worrisome: The Dodgers can't quite figure out how to tame Tatis. The Padres' star right fielder has put 12 balls in play in the first three games of this series. Eight drove more than 100 miles per hour. He is 6-of-12 with five extra-base hits and has yet to record a strikeout.

“He's one of the many guys on our team who appreciates the bright light, enjoys it and embraces it,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “He just wants to play and perform.”

The first time Tatis played in the postseason was 2020, a year in which the COVID-19 pandemic kept fans away from stadiums. When the Padres returned in 2022, Tatis was coming off a nightmarish season that began with a wrist injury sustained in an offseason motorcycle accident and was followed by an 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance was what tarnished his image forever.

In 2023, he played in 141 games but no longer felt like himself, so he returned home the following winter and played winter ball for his father, Fernando Tatis Sr. The younger Tatis arrived at spring training earlier this year determined to get back together to establish himself as a superstar, but then a stress reaction in his right femur robbed him of more than two months. He resurfaced in September, but his return to superstardom came in October.

The first shot Tatis made of the postseason sailed over the fence and set the tone in the Padres' victory over the Atlanta Braves in the wild-card round. In a Game 2 win over the Dodgers, he hit two home runs, added a double, robbed Freeman of extra bases by jumping into the gap in right-center field, and spent most of the evening taunting an angry Dodger Stadium crowd. While most of his teammates lamented the hostility that surrounded them that Sunday night, Tatis seemed to revel in it.

“At the end of the day,” Tatis said at the time, “it’s a show. And we should enjoy every moment.”

He's definitely enjoying it.