Padres ambush O's starter David Hess with home runs on first two pitches of the game
Fernandez Tatis Jr. and Franmil Reyes did the deed
By
Mike Axisa
•
1 min read
Monday night the Padres and Orioles opened a two-game interleague series at Petco Park (GameTracker). The series gives Manny Machado a chance to take on his old teammates.
It's impossible to have a better start to a game than the Padres did against O's starter David Hess on Monday. Wunderkind shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. opened the game with a homer on Hess' first pitch. The next batter, Franmil Reyes, then hit Hess' second pitch for a solo home run. Two pitches, two homers.
Poor Hess. He went into Monday's game having allowed 21 home runs in 68 innings on the season, giving him the highest home run rate in baseball (2.8 HR/9). I suppose there was no better candidate to start a game with back-to-back homers on back-to-back pitches than him.
The Padres are the third team on record -- reliable pitch data goes back to 1988 -- to hit home runs on the first and second pitches of a game. Here's the list:
| Date | Hitters | Pitcher |
|---|---|---|
July 29, 2019 | Fernando Tatis Jr. and Franmil Reyes, Padres | David Hess, Orioles |
August 14, 2018 | Ronald Acuna Jr. and Charlie Culberson, Braves | |
September 9, 2004 | Jimmy Rollins and Placido Polanco, Phillies | Russ Ortiz, Braves |
Monday's game is only the second time in franchise history the Padres opened a game with back-to-back home runs, regardless of the count. They started a game against the Giants with back-to-back-to-back home runs on April 13, 1987. Marvell Wynne, Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, and John Kruk did the honors.
By the way, the Padres went into Monday's game with 157 home runs on the season, the 12th most in baseball. They're on pace for 242 home runs, which would obliterate the previous franchise record (189 in 2017).
