Finally! Fernando Tatis Jr. crushes a 451-foot drive for his first home run of the season

WASHINGTON (AP) - Fernando Tatis Jr. finally connected for his first home run of the season - and boy was it a blast.

Tatis slugged a 451-foot solo shot to left field in the fifth inning against Washington on Saturday, although the San Diego Padres went on to lose 9-4 to the Nationals. Tatis, who has five 20-homer seasons in his career and hit 42 in 2021, had not gone deep in 240 plate appearances before this game - the longest drought in the major leagues.

He then singled in the first inning and struck out in the third before his fifth-inning drive off Foster Griffin gave San Diego a 3-1 lead.

"I just knew right away," Tatis said. "About (expletive) time."

Tatis flipped his bat with his left hand and received a joyous welcome from his San Diego teammates after rounding the bases. It was his first homer since Sept. 27 against Arizona.

"It was very exciting for everybody," manager Craig Stammen said. "He's been carrying that burden. The team has been carrying that burden."

For a while it looked like the Padres would be able to celebrate a victory as well. They led 3-1 before the Nationals scored six runs in the seventh.

"There's no off days over here man," Tatis said. "This game will find a way how to still punish you."

Still, it had to be a relief for Tatis to hit a homer, especially such a prodigious one. The wind was blowing in from left field at 10 mph on Saturday, but Tatis' drive carried well into the seats in left, landing a few rows short of the concourse.

"Bet you he'll sleep a little better tonight, knowing that he has a little 'one' on his numbers. He has a lot in his career, but it's different," teammate Xander Bogaerts said. "Everyone knows what the deal is here. Everyone knows he has zero, so I think getting that kind of pressure off his back is nice."