San Diego Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. had a disappointing comeback.
On the 21st (Korean time), Tatis started as the first hitter and right fielder against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2023 Major League Baseball held at Chase Field, Arizona, USA.
San Diego won 7-5, but Tatis was hitless in 5 at-bats. Even in defense, sloppy movements raised anxiety. In the ninth episode, there was a dizzying scene where he almost collided with Kim Ha-seong.
Tatis stood on the major league stage 564 days after the San Francisco Giants game on October 4, 2021. As soon as he stood at the plate for the first time in the first inning, booing poured out from Chase Field.
Tatis tested positive for a banned substance last year. He was handed an 80 game suspension.
Tatis recorded a batting average of 0.515, 7 homers, 15 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 1.802 in eight minor league games this season. He returned to the major leagues with great anticipation.
It started with three strikes. The swing was exciting, but the accuracy was poor. It wasn’t just Tatis’ fault, as Juan Soto and Manny Machado both struck out in the first inning.
In the top of the 3rd inning, the second at-bat was withdrawn with a shortstop grounder. In the third at-bat in the top of the 5th inning, a rather well-hit ball was caught by the right fielder. In the fourth at-bat in the top of the 7th inning, he swallowed regret by throwing his bat at the falling splitter.
In defense, the game sensory problem was also exposed. He made minor mistakes, such as missing a catchable ball or giving one more base by throwing a long ball without going through the cutman.
However, in the defense at the end of the 8th inning, he showed off his unique animal-like athletic ability and showed off a nice catch. He caught a difficult ball that flowed into the right field line to the end, caught it, and then hit the fence reliably to induce cheers from the fans.
Tatis stood at the plate in the top of the ninth inning after a pleasant defense. He hit a tight hit with a runner on first base and headed straight to left field. 안전놀이터
In the defense at the end of the 9th inning, Ha-seong Kim and Dong-seon overlapped. Ha-seong Kim shouted a call to catch the ball on the second base. Right fielder Tatis jumped down as if he didn’t see it, and contact occurred. Ha-seong Kim caught the batted ball and no big problem arose.
San Diego kept the victory by scramble for closer Josh Hader in the bottom of the ninth, leading 7-5.