Fernando Tatis Jr. turned grand slam into MLB catch of the year candidate, and his reaction was perfect

Fernando Tatis Jr. hit one of the more majestic home runs of the season for the San Diego Padres in the first inning of their Tuesday night showdown with the New York Mets. The mammoth 452-foot shot to left center put San Diego up 1-0, but it won’t be the play anyone remembers most from the game. That’s because Tatis Jr. made a web gem for the ages one inning later that saved so many more runs. The New York Mets loaded the bases for star shortstop Francisco Lindor in the second inning, and he mashed a pitch on the outer edge of the plate down the right field line for a deep fly ball. It looked like it was going to be a grand slam, but Tatis had other plans. He jumped, reached over the wall, and came away with the third out of the inning in his glove. Tatis’ reaction after the catch was even better. Watch the play here: DID HE CATCH IT?! Fernando Tatis Jr. robs a grand slam from Francisco Lindor! pic.twitter.com/6m2O0Yrb2a — MLB (@MLB) August 18, 2026 When Tatis landed with the ball in his glove, he hit an absolutely perfect pose that looked like a pro wrestler after a finisher. No notes. The Padres beat the Mets, 5-2, to keep their wild card hopes alive. San Diego is two up on the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final spot in the NL playoff picture entering Wednesday’s action. Tatis seemed quite proud of his catch. He posted this GIF on Twitter after the game. pic.twitter.com/ENlFxrCod7 — Fernando Tatis Jr. (@tatis_jr) August 19, 2026 Honestly, he looked exactly like that. The baseball playoffs are better when the Padres are involved, because Tatis is a must-see star even if this hasn’t been his best season by the numbers. His flair for the dramatic is always there, and San Diego can hope he’s just started to peak at the right time.

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