Tatis helped make sport fun again
Padres’ young SS has fans thinking of brighter future
The euphoria of the San Diego Padres’ first playoff series victory in 22 seasons quickly gave way to the pain of being swept out of the playoffs by their biggest rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Spring training can’t get here soon enough for the Padres, who finally shed their rebuilding label and rode the swagger and talent of budding superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado to their first winning season since 2010 and reinvigorated a fan base that had been beaten down by so much losing.
“We know how to win now,” said right fielder Wil Myers, their longesttenured played who had a nice bounceback season at the plate. “We’re expecting to win. We’ve got great players in here. I know we came up short tonight, but there’s a lot of optimism here in San Diego. It’s going to be a great offseason for us. Ready to rock and roll and come back next year with a different mentality.”
Led by rookie manager Jayce Tingler, the Padres lost 12-3 Thursday night and were swept out of the NL Division Series by the Dodgers, who have dominated the NL West for nearly a decade. The Padres’ explosive offense never showed up, and their pitching faltered in the absence of Dinelson Lamet and with just a brief appearance by Mike Clevinger.
“This is a special group. I feel like this is the growing pains,” the 21-year-old Tatis said. “We’re just getting started. They outplayed us. They played better baseball than we did. We’ve just got to learn. This is just getting started.”
Progress for Marlins
After an improbable run to the playoffs, Miami confronted a hard reality in the National League Division Series: It still can’t beat Atlanta.
The Marlins were sent to the sideline later than usual, but forcefully, when Atlanta completed a best-of-5 sweep with a 7-0 win Thursday.
“You have to measure yourself with them, and have to be able to beat that club,” Miami manager Don Mattingly said. “We feel like we’re getting closer, but they let us know where we’re at.”
A’s fall short of goal
Oakland took the next step in the playoffs at last but still fell short of its ultimate goal.
The Athletics won the AL West to reach a postseason series following two straight years of losing in the one-game wildcard round.
The A’s season then ended Thursday with a four-game Division Series loss to the rival Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium.