SAN DIEGO, CA – JUNE 3: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres scores on a wild pitch ahead of the tag of Taijuan Walker #99 of the New York Mets during the fifth inning of a baseball game at Petco Park on June 3, 2021 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)
Fernando Tatis Jr. returned to the lineup with a two-run homer that slipped out of center fielder Mason Williams' glove, and the San Diego Padres held off the New York Mets 4-3 on Thursday night.
Tatis' home run was his 17th of the season, tying him for the Major League lead.
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WATCH HEREYu Darvish (6-1) pitched effectively into the sixth inning and helped himself with two hits. Mark Melancon escaped a ninth-inning jam when Kevin Pillar grounded sharply into a game-ending double play.
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SIGN UP Tatis also dashed home aggressively to score on a wild pitch as the Padres ended a four-game skid in the opener of a homestand against two first-place teams.
James McCann hit a two-run homer for the Mets, and Billy McKinney had an RBI triple off the wall in the eighth that nearly tied it as New York fought back from a 4-0 deficit.
Tatis registered his 15th error of the season when he failed to secure a throw from second baseman Ha-Seong Kim on a double-play attempt in the sixth inning. With the bases loaded Pete Alonso gave him another try with a grounder to Kim, this time Tatis made the turn and helped the Padres escape the jam.
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He also made a charging play on a grounder in the eighth inning with a man on third and the Padres up a run.
Kim ended the game by fielding a Kevin Pillar grounder, stepping on second base and throwing to first for a game-ending double play.
The win snapped the Padres' season-long four-game losing streak.
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