Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. takes MLB lead in homers and drives in seven runs vs. Rangers

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Fernando Tatis Jr., the 21-year-old wunderkind who serves as the San Diego Padres shortstop, had himself a game on Monday night as part of a boat race against the Texas Rangers (box score). Not only did Tatis take over as Major League Baseball’s home run leader, he also became the youngest player to drive in seven runs in nearly six decades.

Let’s start with the home runs. Tatis, who entered the night hitting .300/.382/.678 (190 OPS+) had been tied with Mike Trout and Aaron Judge for the majors’ lead with nine dingers. Trout hit his 10th against the San Francisco Giants on Monday night, and Tatis matched then exceeded him with Nos. 10 and 11.

Tatis’ first blast, a three-run shot, came in the seventh inning against Jesse Chavez. The ball left his bat traveling at nearly 113 miles per hour, according to Statcast’s data.

An inning later, in the eighth, Tatis took advantage of a bases-loaded situation and a 3-0 fastball from Juan Nicasio. This home run, an opposite-field shot, flew out at roughly 110 mph.

Although Monday’s game was only the 108th of Tatis’ career, it was his third with multiple home runs. He recorded his second multi-homer game just over a week ago, on Aug. 8, when he launched a pair against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

As for the seven RBI portion of the night, Tatis became the youngest player to drive in that many runs since Chicago Cubs third baseman Ron Santo did it in 1961, per ESPN Stats and Info. Tatis’ seven RBI are also tied for the most in a game this season (with Nelson Cruz), and is tied for the third-most in Padres history with a slew of others.

As a reminder: Tatis will not celebrate his 22nd birthday until January. To think, he’s already one of the best players in the game.