Spring training is meant to be competitive and get one ready for the season. But the last thing one wants is for it to be dangerous. Particularly, not when 162 games are staring right at the face. But on Friday night’s showdown between the San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers, things turned into a rather frightening affair for Fernando Tatis Jr. Now San Diego sure pulled off an exciting 9-8 win, but the talk of the town was what happened with Tatis at the plate.
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Not one incident but two!
It all started in the very first inning when Texas pitcher Kumar Rocker threw a 95.3 mph fastball that drilled Tatis Jr.’s helmet. This left fans gawking, but somehow, Tatis Jr. stayed in the game. And then when everyone got relaxed about the worst happening, there it was again in the fourth inning.
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This time, Ranger’s Dane Dunning sent a sinker high and inside, and Tatis Jr. had to duck out of the way at the end.
One brush, well, that can be an accident. But two incidents in the same game? That’s a different story, and not everyone is buying it.
Manny Ramírez on Tatis Jr.’s HBP: “That seems like it was evil”. https://t.co/4yeq3aIwOD
— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) March 15, 2025
Padres fans immediately called it out, and even Manny Ramirez was not having it. Hector Gomez reports that Ramirez didn’t mince words, “That seems like it was evil.” Intentional or not, throwing at a superstar’s head twice is brutal and raises eyebrows for sure.
Tatis Jr. missed time last season because of his injury and battling an illness earlier this spring. It’s only now that Tatis Jr. is heating up. His OPS is over 1.000. The last thing the San Diego Padres need is for their star to dim before brightening up the regular games. And all for some reckless pitching.
Now the Padres will face the Texas Rangers one more time on March 20. But honestly, the real fireworks of this behavior might come out in July when the two teams meet again. In MLB, forgive and forget is not a thing.
The good thing is Tatis Jr. walked away unharmed. Bad thing—this will probably get the Rangers into a pickle later.
Juan Soto calls Fernando Tatis Jr. the best in the game
Who is the best in baseball today? Several MLB fans will definitely answer Juan Soto. He is, after all, a stellar player; no wonder he got that massive deal from the New York Mets. But if you ask Soto, the title belongs to Fernando Tatis Jr.
In a recent interview, he crowned Tatis Jr. as the best player in the game.
“Fernando Tatis Jr is the best player in the game for me, he can do it all in the field. You can see players that do everything at least average or better, but he does everything elite.” Not just that, he even went on to explain why he feels Tatis Jr. is deserving of that huge compliment.
Soto highlighted Fernando Tatis Jr.’s insane skill set. His speed, his power, his ability to hit .300 while playing in a pitcher-friendly San Diego. And add in his cannon of an arm, it has even Soto going, “What else can you ask a player to do that he doesn’t do already?” This take is going viral.
But that’s not the only thing!
Soto has already turned heads, with another surprising twist—“The Mets didn’t offer the most money. Some teams offered more.” But that being said, everyone from the Mets Manager to some of the teammates has mentioned how Soto is transitioning well with the team.
For now, though, one can’t help but wonder—who offered Juan Soto more than $765 million? Who do you think it was?
Written by
Edited by
Ahana Chatterjee