Friday's MLB: Tatis missing All-Star Home Run Derby, then hits 3 HRs vs D-Backs
San Diego — San Diego slugger Fernando Tatis Jr. hit three home runs Friday night, connecting hours after saying he would not participate in the All-Star Home Run Derby at Denver's Coors Field on July 12.
Tatis cited his left shoulder, which he said is at 75% following an injury early this season. He sustained a partial dislocation during a hard swing against San Francisco.
The 22-year-old shortstop looked in peak form against Arizona, homering in each of his first three at-bats.
Tatis hit solo home runs in the first and second innings, and his two-run drive in the fourth put the Padres ahead 8-5. Tatis singled in his fourth at-bats in the seventh.
Tatis is tied with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of Toronto and Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels for the major league lead with 25 home runs.
This was the first three-homer game of Tatis' career. The major league record for home runs in a game is four, done 18 times. J.D. Martinez was the most recent player to accomplish the feat, doing it for the Diamondbacks on Sept. 4, 2017, against the Dodgers.
More: Two mock drafts have Tigers taking this high school star with the No. 3 pick in MLB Draft
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Tatis went on the 10-day injured list and returned April 16, then left last Saturday's game against Cincinnati after diving for a ball at shortstop and re-injuring the shoulder.
Tatis leads the NL with 54 RBIs and 15 stolen bases.
More Friday's MLB
Nola ties record with 10 straight Ks
Bryce Harper blew kisses at a booing crowd to punctuate his home run, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Mets 2-1 in eight innings Friday night for a doubleheader split after Aaron Nola matched a long-standing major league record with 10 straight strikeouts in the opener.
Odúbel Herrera drove in the tiebreaking run with a groundout against reliever Sean Reid-Foley (2-1) in the eighth as both games took an extra inning to determine a winner.
Nola tied Tom Seaver’s mark for consecutive strikeouts set 51 years ago, but the Mets rallied to win the first game 2-1 in eight innings on big hits by Francisco Lindor and Dominic Smith.
Following a costly error by third baseman Alec Bohm in the bottom of the seventh, Archie Bradley (3-1) limited the damage and allowed only pinch-hitter James McCann’s tying sacrifice fly in the nightcap.
In the opener, Seth Lugo (1-0) struck out three in the top of the eighth and stranded two runners for the NL East leaders, playing their third doubleheader in seven days.
Nola matched the mark set by Mets ace Tom Seaver, who fanned his final 10 hitters in a 2-1 victory over the San Diego Padres at Shea Stadium on April 22, 1970.
The Hall of Famer’s mark for consecutive strikeouts remained unmatched for more than five decades until Nola whiffed Michael Conforto with a changeup leading off the fourth at Citi Field.
New York — Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola struck out 10 straight New York Mets batters Friday, tying a major league record that stood alone for more than five decades.
Hall of Fame ace Tom Seaver fanned his final 10 hitters for the Mets in a 2-1 victory over the San Diego Padres at Shea Stadium on April 22, 1970.
That mark for consecutive strikeouts held for 51 years until Nola whiffed Michael Conforto leading off the fourth inning in the first game of a doubleheader at Citi Field, which replaced Shea Stadium as the Mets' home in 2009 on the same site in Queens.
Featuring a nasty knuckle curve, Nola started and ended his streak with punchouts of Conforto, who came off the injured list Wednesday. With the late-afternoon crowd chanting his name, Pete Alonso halted the astounding run of Ks when he reached across the plate to poke a 1-2 slider inside the right-field line for a line-drive double.
Nola got off to an inauspicious start. He hit leadoff batter Jeff McNeil with a curveball in the first inning and then gave up a double to Francisco Lindor that left runners at second and third.
The right-hander struck out Conforto, Alonso and Dominic Smith in succession to keep New York off the scoreboard — and didn't slow down. James McCann, Kevin Pillar and Luis Guillorme went down in the second, then pitcher Taijuan Walker, McNeil and Lindor in the third.
Seven of the strikeouts during Nola's string were swinging. He caught Smith, McCann and Walker looking.
The streak alone gave Nola his 19th career double-digit strikeout game and third this season.
Nola also singled off the left-field wall for Philadelphia's first baserunner in the third and laced an RBI double to deep right-center off Walker with two outs in the fifth to deliver the first run of the game.