The swing. The bat flip. The stare-down. Fernando Tatís Jr. wasn’t messing around.
What a righteous blast
In discussions about the best young players in baseball, it’s easy to leave out Padres shortstop Fernando Tatís Jr. He plays on the west coast for a team last in its division last season, so it’s not like he’s in the spotlight much. But despite playing in only 83 games last year due to hamstring and back injuries, he still finished third in Rookie of the Year voting.
His skills are undeniable. What makes him a real joy to watch his his personality, though. His passion and attitude are infectious.
Tatís’s combination of talent and swag was on full display last night in San Diego when he absolutely cranked a homer off of Dodgers starter Ross Stripling.
The swing was a vicious hack. The ensuing bat flip was spectacular. The stare he directed toward his team’s dugout on the way to first was the icing on the cake.
Here’s a better look at the bat flip and glare.
It should be no surprise that it was the hardest-hit homer of the 26 he’s now hit in the majors.
Watching the full at-bat just reinforces how badly Tatís wanted to do some damage there. He swung at three pitches (a curveball, a fastball and another curve) and fouled them all off. Then, down 0–2, got a high fastball and took the kind of swing you’d expect to see on a 3–0 count.
We’ve seen plenty of massive homers this year (probably because MLB is still playing with tennis balls) but with the absence of fans ooh-ing and ahh-ing, none of them have been as exciting as Tatís’s. Players injecting excitement into a baseball game, what a concept!
Who wants free stuff?
It’s been a while since I did a giveaway and I’ve got a good one today.
Virginia brewery Devils Backbone is a favorite for D.C. sports fans, with brews made especially for the Capitals and Wizards, as well as the new Curly W IPA for the Nationals.
The top-selling Devils Backbone brew at Nationals Park is the award-winning Vienna Lager, which is the one we’re giving away today. Winners will receive a 15-pack of the beer and a package of Nationals merchandise.
Here’s how to win:
- Go back to Tuesday’s Hot Clicks
- Find the name of the NHL player whose hat trick was celebrated by an employee throwing hats on the ice
- Send me an email (dan.gartland@si.com) with the subject line Nats giveaway and the correct answer in the body (one entry per person, must be 21+)
- The 10th, 25th, 50th and 100th persons to follow those instructions will win
(If you represent a brand that would be interesting in running a giveaway for Hot Clicks readers, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at dan.gartland@si.com.)
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Email dan.gartland@si.com with any feedback or follow me on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.
