Fernando Tatis Jr. has become one of baseball’s best players. His father is known in part for holding one of the most remarkable records in the sport. All of that came together to make a bit of history on Friday night.
On Apr. 23, 1999, Fernando Tatis Sr., then a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, hit two grand slams in the same inning at Dodger Stadium. That feat is unlikely to ever be matched solely due to the rarity of it. However, on Friday night, exactly 22 years later, Tatis Jr. hit two home runs in the same game at Dodger Stadium, both off Clayton Kershaw.
Tatis Jr. going deep on the anniversary of his father’s feat — in the same ballpark, no less — was not lost on the family.
“I feel like the baseball gods were in my favor today, but I’m glad it happened,” Tatis Jr. said of the accomplishment, via Dennis Lin of The Athletic. “It’s something definitely me and my family are gonna celebrate and something that’s gonna be in my heart for the rest of my life.”
Tatis Jr. did speak to his father after the game, and both were in a celebratory mood.
“He was really happy,” Tatis Jr. said. “He was saying just how blessed we are, how blessed this game has been to us, and it’s just been a celebration all the way around in our family.”
Tatis Jr. may never hit two grand slams in the same inning. However, he’s accomplishing plenty of feats that don’t have a lot of precedent. There’s probably more to come — as evidenced by Friday night’s game, he certainly seems to have a flair for the dramatic.
