San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. pulled double duty on Tuesday night against the New York Mets.
New York's starting pitcher Zac Thornton threw only one pitch to Tatis in the top of the first inning to begin the game. The Padres outfielder launched it 452 feet to left center, giving San Diego the early 1-0 lead.
Tatis wasn't done.
In the bottom of the second, the Mets had loaded the bases. Francisco Alvarez, Christopher Morel, and A.J. Ewing drew walks while Luis Torrens grounded into a fielder's choice, which saw Alvarez thrown out at home, but kept the bases loaded.
New York's star shortstop Francisco Lindor came to the plate. He launched a 91 mph sinker to right field, a hit that looked destined for the outfield seats.
Tatis backed up to the wall and leaped from his feet to rob the home run.
After catching the ball, Tatis looked toward the infield, basking in the moment and aura farming in front of the New York faithful.
The San Diego outfielder wasn’t done. He launched a two-run homer to right field to extend the Padres’ lead to 3-0 in the fifth inning.
Tatis started the season in a brutal home run slump. He was hitting well, but he couldn't find a long ball. The Padres outfielder didn't register his first home run of the season until May 30 against the Washington Nationals. He’s now at 15 on the season.
San Diego came into Tuesday's game with a 67-59 record, good for second place in the NL West and in position for the third NL wild-card spot.
New York has a 57-69 record and is in last place in the NL East after a rough start to the season that the franchise has struggled to recover from. At one point, the Mets lost 12 games in a row, their worst losing streak as a franchise since 2002.