Padres: Fernando Tatís Jr. slugging his way into the record books

Sooner or later the real Fernando Tatís Jr. would show up. The Padres superstar has come in like a tsunami, as Tatís is now the sole standalone owner of a fun record that most people probably did not care about before this weekend.

In the opener of the weekend series in Los Angeles between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, Tatís launched a pair of home runs off Dodger great and former Cy Young recipient, Clayton Kershaw.

More from Friars on Base

• Padres fighting with hated rival to sign quality veteran relief pitcher
• Jurickson Profar free agency update likely rules out Padres reunion
• Fernando Tatis Jr. may not take to outfield move after Xander Bogaerts addition
• Padres News: Fernando Tatis Jr. trade rumors, Seth Lugo chase, Manny Machado
• Padres barely missed out on high-end veteran starting pitcher

The 22-year-old’s first one came off the bat at a resounding 113.4 MPH. Screaming through the sky like an impending asteroid toward earth, not even Tatís knew what he had in store just two short innings later.

In the fifth inning, Tatís stepped to the plate. As an encore, the superstar ripped another deep fly ball, a no-doubter, to give him his second of the night — this one coming off the bat at 115.9 mph. Elite hitters produce elite results.

Padres: The streak continues for ‘El Niño’

Imaginatively, if you’re slated to face two Cy Young award winners in back-to-back nights, more than likely, the pressure would be too much to handle. However, it depends on who’s got the ball and who’s stepping into that box.

Tatís does not shy away from the competition. It could be Sandy Koufax on that mound, and Tatís would not flinch. Saturday night was no different and, in fact, a hair more entertaining.

Trevor Bauer took to the mound on Saturday evening. On Bauer’s second pitch of the night, Tatís demolished a cutter into the bleachers for his third big fly in two days. Rounding first, Tatís made a gesture in reference to something Bauer did this past spring, adding fuel to the powder keg of the hottest new rivalry in baseball.

This past spring, Bauer faced the Padres and decidedly pitched with one eye closed for some reason which made no sense even in his logic. In the sixth inning, Tatís took Bauer deep for a second time, stamped with a swagger walk — another point towards Bauer.

Four home runs in two games. Back-to-back multi-home run games. Tatís became the sixth player with a multi-home run game off a former Cy Young recipient twice in a single season. Saturday put Tatís in the books, as he is officially the first player in history to do it in consecutive games. If anyone can do it, it’s Tatís.

Equipped with an elite bat and a quicker than expected return to the big league squad following his shoulder injury, the kid is ready to continue his prominence. Padres fans are prepared to see the beast get released once more. Let’s hope the hot streak continues for El Niño.