Padres' surprise Opening Day roster addition leads charge for Opening Day win

It's all about first impressions, and for Gavin Sheets, he sure made his Padres debut known. Joining San Diego on a minor league contract this offseason, the former White Sox has never been known as a power hitter - until this year.

On Opening Day against the Atlanta Braves, Sheets did not get the start. Manager Mike Shildt had Sheets on the bench until he was called upon in a big spot in the bottom of the seventh inning. In front of the home crowd, Sheets muscled a game-tying pinch-hit solo home run against Hector Neris on a full count offering, tying the game 4-4.

Sheets' home run sparked a four-run comeback rally in the seventh, ultimately giving the Padres a 7-4 win on Opening Day.

Gavin Sheets' pinch-hit home run sparks Padres' Opening Day win

Sheets had a red-hot spring, which included a blistering walk-off home run a couple of weeks ago. He hammered six home runs at spring training and batted .315, making him the Friars' best hitter at camp. Last season, Sheets would go weeks at a time without hitting a home run, but he's seemed to leave that version of him in Chicago.

He can play corner outfield, first base, or get slotted at designated hitter - so Sheets should get plenty of at-bats throughout the year. If he continues hitting home runs, then Padres fans can expect him to constantly be somewhere in the lineup.

Leading up to Sheets' homer in the seventh, it was only Jackson Merrill who was awake at the plate for San Diego. He had sprinkled three RBIs to keep the Padres within reach, but Sheets' round-tripper sparked a new life in the home dugout. Elias Díaz and Fernando Tatis Jr. immediately answered with back-to-back singles, which then led to a Luis Arraez sacrifice fly RBI. Manny Machado's RBI double added another run, and Merrill's sac fly RBI (his fourth of the day) capped the go-ahead inning.

Michael King's shaky Opening Day start was almost been completely forgotten about, and much of that is thanks to Gavin Sheets' historic home run. This is exactly what San Diego needs this season in order to stay afloat in the NL West. They will run into some really good teams, but games can be won or lost based on how role players perform. If Sheets is able to provide some added spunk to an already-loaded lineup, then San Diego will be in a comfortable spot to win each day.