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The Slam Diego Padres.
The San Diego Slammers.
The Slam-tastic Slam Diego Slamma-Jammas.
Whatever you feel feel like calling this team at the moment is perfectly okay as long as you put the deserved respect on their name.
In a suspenseful back-and-forth affair at Petco Park, the Padres completed a home-and-home series sweep against the Rangers to bring their record to 15-12, which puts them in sole possession of second place in the NL West. They won in extra innings by a score of 8-7.
Good night from #SlamDiego! #PadresWin pic.twitter.com/17vqumei6p
— Slam Diego Padres (@Padres) August 21, 2020
On top of the suspense, the Padres also made a BIG bit of history.
In the bottom of the fifth with the bases loaded, Eric Hosmer hit the team’s fourth grand slam in as many games, which made them the very first team in MLB history to achieve the feat. On Wednesday, the Padres became one of five teams and the first since 2006 to record three straight, and obviously that wasn’t good enough for them.
El Flaco pitched a solid five innings last night, allowing just two hits, two runs and striking out nine with three walks. He was hitless through the first four before the Rangers’ 3B Isiah Kiner-Falafa hit a single into left. That was then immediately followed up by a homer from C Jose Trevino which suddenly tied things at 5-5 after Hosmer’s slam.
If you thought Wednesday was going to be the grand finale... think again!#FriarFaithful pic.twitter.com/ihdnBbaAJL
— Slam Diego Padres (@Padres) August 21, 2020
The lead was traded off twice through the final two innings before LF Nick Solak hit a game-tying home run in the ninth to push the contest into extra innings. Thankfully, a fielding error by 1B Scott Heineman allowed Wil Myers to score off a Jake Cronenworth single in the bottom of the tenth.
He dabs. He flosses. He walks off.
— Slam Diego Padres (@Padres) August 21, 2020
The legend of Jake Cronenworth continues to grow!#FriarFaithful pic.twitter.com/oz2joWsGbw
Thankfully, their historic night did not end in disappointment.
Texas’ starter Kyle Gibson also went five innings but overall he’d probably like to forget being on the wrong end of Hosmer’s slam. Fortunately however, there are three other pitchers on his team who know what he went through.
The Padres are back in Petco Park tonight to face the Houston Astros in their first matchup of a three-game series. Garrett Richards (1-1) will be facing off against righty Lance McCullers Jr. (2-1).