San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. finally ended a historic home run drought Saturday, launching a 451-foot solo shot off Washington Nationals starter Foster Griffin. The blast snapped a 207 at-bat, 55-game homerless streak to start the season, the second-longest ever for a player who previously hit 40 or more home runs in a single season, trailing only Carl Yastrzemski's 57-game streak in 1972.
"I just knew right away," Tatis said. "About f---ing time."
Tatis finished the day 2-for-5 with an RBI. The three-time All-Star is now batting .271 with a .670 OPS, six doubles, a triple, and one home run. Teammate Xander Bogaerts noted the pressure lifted, saying, "I think getting that kind of pressure off his back is nice."
Despite Tatis's milestone, the Nationals won the game 9-4.