Rafael Devers can’t escape Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. in home run robbery déjà vu

Let’s start with the unpleasant part. Fernando Tatis Jr. didn’t save the Padres on July 30. He saved them from a much uglier first inning, but that’s about it. The Padres still lost 4-1 to the San Francisco Giants because one sensational defensive play can prevent runs, but it can’t make up for a quiet offense dominated by Robbie Ray.

That doesn’t make the play any less absurd. Rafael Devers stepped to the plate in the first inning with runners aboard and drove a JP Sears pitch toward the right-center-field seats. It looked like an early three-run homer. But Tatis had other plans.

He covered 94 feet, reached the short wall and brought the ball back. One run scored on the sacrifice fly, but Tatis prevented two more from crossing the plate. He even recovered after falling on the warning track and flipped the ball to Jackson Merrill, keeping the remaining runner at first.

Very smooth play, and completely ridiculous once we consider how much ground he had to cover. What’s crazy is that we’ve seen this matchup before.

Fernando Tatis Jr. has now robbed Rafael Devers in consecutive seasons

Tatis also stole a home run from Devers at Petco Park on Aug. 20, 2025. Both robberies came in the first inning. Both came with Sears on the mound. Both denied one of baseball’s most dangerous left-handed hitters.

The catches themselves were different. Last year, Tatis climbed the taller wall in straightaway right field during a stretch in which he robbed four home runs over 27 games at Petco Park. This time, he raced into the right-center gap and made the catch in front of the shorter fence.

Tatis hasn’t robbed three home runs this season, like he did last year when he was on a defensive rampage. Part of that could be from how much time he’s spent at second base this season.

Devers did not laugh off the robbery. Instead, he responded by collecting three hits as the Giants handled the Padres.

The Padres can’t feel particularly good about the night. They’re deep in a Wild Card race with the trade deadline approaching, and sitting in third place in the NL West. They’re still one game over .500 and it’s going to be a climb from here to October.

Still, there is something wonderfully cruel about Devers being denied by the same player, in the same inning, and at the same ballpark. Once can be a highlight. Twice can start to feel personal.

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