Fernando Tatis Jr. HR caps Padres comeback from 8-run deficit - ESPN

SAN DIEGO — Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a go-ahead, two-run home run with two outs in the eighth, two innings after the Padres scored seven runs, and San Diego stunned the Chicago Cubs 9-8 Monday night.

On the 20th anniversary of the first Padres game at Petco Park, Tatis exuberantly celebrated the moment that fully erased an 8-0 deficit. He held his bat out with his left arm as he watched the ball sail into the left-field seats, flipped it, hollered and pumped his fists as he started his trot. He was wearing custom cleats honoring the late Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn. Rookie Jackson Merrill was aboard on a leadoff walk off Adbert Alzolay (1-1).

«It was amazing. But all credit to the boys,» Tatis said. «We were down 8-0, and we were never out of the game. We kept building, we kept taking good at-bats against tough pitches. The boys started executing. We started moving the line, we kept believing in each other and that was just the final blow.»

The win tied the Padres' largest comeback in franchise history. The other three games they won after trailing by eight runs: May 23, 1970, at the San Francisco Giants; June 10, 1974, versus the Pittsburgh Pirates; and July 8, 2021, versus the Washington Nationals.

The Cubs, meanwhile, entered Monday having won 234 consecutive games they led by eight or more runs. Their last such loss came on June 28, 2002, at the Chicago White Sox.

In conjunction with his branding company Xample, Tatis plans to unveil 50 pairs of custom cleats this season. His choice for Monday night, featuring different designs on each cleat, honored Gwynn, known as Mr. Padre, who played his entire 20-season career in San Diego. Gwynn died in 2014 at age 54.

«Definitely the shoes,» Tatis said with a laugh. «The power came