San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. must be making his father proud, even if he's shattering his records.
On Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tatis Jr. crushed a 442-foot home run off Walker Buehler to give San Diego a 1-0 lead. Per MLB Stats, it was the 114th home run of his career, surpassing his father, Fernando Sr., who hit 113 homers in 11 seasons.
Fernando Tatis Jr. hits career home run No. 114 and passes his father, Fernando Tatis Sr., who hit 113 home runs across 11 Major League seasons. https://t.co/6PlPSPHnym
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) May 12, 2024
Whether Tatis Jr. gives his old man a hard time about it or not, it appears he has deep respect for his father. At the beginning of the season, Tatis Jr. honored his father, wearing custom cleats at Dodger Stadium, where Fernando Sr. became the only player in MLB history to hit two grand slams in one inning.
Fernando Tatis Sr. once hit two grand slams in one inning at Dodger Stadium
— MLB (@MLB) April 13, 2024
Tonight, as Tatis Jr. plays in that same stadium, he's paying tribute to his father with Tatis Sr.-themed Jordan cleats pic.twitter.com/3O7GCsvybJ
This season, Tatis Jr. is off to a solid start. In 42 games, he has seven homers. 21 RBI, a .256 batting average and a .332 on-base percentage.
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