Wil Myers lifts the San Diego Padres from the jaws of certain defeat
It feels pretty different this year with the San Diego Padres, doesn’t it? Just ask Wil Myers.
The Padres played a doubleheader with the Seattle Mariners on Thursday afternoon, as both teams protested playing Wednesday’s game over the Jacob Blake shooting up in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Though the Mariners took the second game of the doubleheader later, we can’t stop talking about what Myers and the Padres pulled off in the bottom of the seventh in Game 1.
This win by the Padres lets us know this is a special season in San Diego.
Prior to this season, the Padres had only made the NL postseason five times in their history. While they have been to two World Series in 1984 and 1998, the Friars came up empty-handed on both occasions. Even though they haven’t qualified for the postseason since 2006, they are absolutely going to make it into the eight-team field this year, barring something unforeseen.
“Slam Diego” has become the most fun team in all of baseball. What the Padres pulled off in the bottom of the seventh inning is a microcosm of why they just might be the most dangerous team the division rival Los Angeles Dodgers have to worry about this postseason. Here is exactly what went down in the bottom off the seventh that led to the three-run Myers game-winning tater.
Up 7-3, Taylor Williams came in to shut the door on the Padres. After striking out Ty France and getting Jurickson Profar to ground out, the Mariners could not get the precious 21st out they needed to get the victory. Fate would have it the next eight Padres hitters reached base, as the Mariners completely fell apart at the seams in yet another lost at sea season for Seattle.
Williams proceeded to lose all command of any of his pitches. He hit Austin Hedges and walked Trent Grisham and Fernando Tatis Jr. to load the bases. Manny Machado drove in Hedges and Grisham to make it 7-5 Mariners. A wild pitch, the second of the inning and the third ball to not be caught by the catcher allowed Tatis to score to cut the Padres’ deficit to only one.
Eric Hosmer then singled in Machado to tie the game up at seven runs apiece. Dan Altavilla would come in to replace a struggling Williams on the mound. Feeling no pressure whatsoever now that the game was tied, Jake Cronenworth put two ducks on the pound. Then, Myers delivered the three-run blast to sink the Mariners 10-7 in walk-off fashion.
Even though they would later drop the second game of the doubleheader 8-3, San Diego is 19-14 through 33 games. Despite being five games back of the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, the Padres would be the No. 4 seed in the NL postseason as the best non-division winner in the Senior Circuit. They would face the Miami Marlins in a riveting best-of-three Wild Card Series.
Though they may not win a postseason series, the Padres have become America’s favorite team.