ARLINGTON, Texas – A day after sparking a debate about baseball over unwritten rules, when to swing, when not to swing, and all the stands in between, San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr. went 2-for-5 with a run and a stolen base as the Padres outscored the Rangers, 6-4, Tuesday.
Tatis fired a 14-4 rout over Texas on Monday with a grand slam and seven RBIs. His homer came on a 3-0 pitch from Juan Nicasio in the eighth inning, ranking Texas manager Chris Woodward and the Rangers over what they saw as breaking one of the unwritten rules of baseball. Rookie Ian Gibaut loses to the slam and his first pitch was a fastball behind Manny Machado.
Gibaut was suspended for three games by Major League Baseball and appealed the penalty, making him eligible. Woodward was suspended for one game and sat out, with bank coach Don Wakamatsu leading the team.
In a statement from the Rangers, Woodward said, “I respect MLB’s decision and I will continue to prepare for our series in San Diego,” and after the game, Wakamatsu did not advance Texas’ position, only to say that the Padres “is a good hit club.”
None of that seems to bother Tatis, who placed his sixth-set base of the season with the Padres holding a 6-0 lead. It was a whip that Wakamatsu had no problem with other than saying he thought Tatis was “out” because the Padres won consecutive games after a skid of five games. The 21-year-old, who started the day with the top of the majors with 11 homers and 28 RBIs, is now tied for the MLB lead in steals.
Will Myers, who hit a first-inning Grand Slam holding the momentum of the Padres last night, was quick to point out the opportunity San Diego had on Tuesday – inspired by Tatis and taken care of by the Rangers’ reaction – especially considering their recent cravings.
“When such situations happen, you want to put it behind you and come back and hit them on the field,” Myers said.
Craig Tribes (2-1) put up two scoreless innings for San Diego, and Cal Quantrill recorded the final out, allowing inherited runners on first and second tracks, to save for his first major league game.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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