Padres Anatomy Of An Inning: Fourth Of July Fireworks

[Greg Spicer]

The stakes of Friday night's game in San Diego against the Texas Rangers felt just a bit higher than usual. The Padres sat 0.5 games ahead of their wild card competition, and with the energy of a packed stadium on the Fourth of July, the squad needed to come out on top. 

The battle entered extra innings after a shutdown performance from Robert Suarez in the ninth and a painful stranding of the winning run on second by the Padres in the bottom half. For the tenth, San Diego sent out Padres Mission June reliever of the month, Adrian Morejon, who shut the door and gave the Padres a chance to win the game with just one run. 

That last run wasn’t going to come easy, however, as Rangers legendary manager, Bruce Bochy, used every trick up his sleeve to keep that runner from touching home. 

The Padres were able to put themselves in a prime position to win right away with the speedy Jackson Merrill starting on second base after being the final out of the previous inning. 

Creating even more promise, the Rangers sent out lefty reliever Robert Garcia to take on the tenth. This was ideal because, up to the plate first, was lefty killer Manny Machado. Machado leads the Padres with eight home runs and a 146 wRC+ against southpaws this season and was looking poised to add to those numbers. 

Unfortunately, that matchup was short-lived, as Bochy revealed the true thought process behind his matchup choice. Machado was promptly given an intentional walk and trotted onto first base. With just one run needed to win and a baserunner already on second, his at-bat was officially useless. 

Following Machado in the lineup, San Diego had two lefties in Luis Arraez and Gavin Sheets. Although both players are capable hitters, their wRC+s against lefties are just 82 and 84, respectively. Add in that lefty hitters are slashing just .190/.244/.383 against Garcia in 2025, and it’s clear the numbers were not in the Padres' favor. 

Hope was certainly not lost, though. Arraez is a three-time All-Star who possesses the unique ability of rarely striking out. If nothing else, he would likely be able to put the ball in play and get the runner on second over to third. 

Miraculously, Garcia ended up having the perfect approach to take down Arraez.

After missing way up with a slider, Garcia challenged with a fastball that Arraez nailed foul. Garcia then came back with two more sliders. The first, despite being a ball on the outer half, was enticing enough for Arraez to swing at, creating a two-strike count. After Arraez was able to spit on a second slider way below the strike zone, Garcia responded by unexpectedly throwing his first change-up of the at-bat. This change-up was low and in the dirt, but an off-balance Arraez attempted to golf it out of the ground. Initially, Arraez and the home plate umpire both claimed that the pesky Arraez was able to get a foul piece, but after a quick umpire discussion, the call was changed, and he was handed just his eighth strikeout (lowest in the MLB) of the season.

With Sheets, another lefty, coming to the plate and the momentum on Garcia’s side, San Diego needed some fire. This is precisely what Sheets provided as he stepped into the box and poked a first-pitch slider into centerfield at just 70 mph. This was one of the most improbable hits of Sheets' season. Not only has he struggled to hit lefties, but Sheet’s first-pitch swing rate is one of the lowest in MLB at 20.5%. Getting a hit that defies both of these numbers was truly improbable. 

The excitement didn’t last long, however, as the ball was not a clear base hit until the last few seconds before it dropped. This led to Merrill getting a bad head start when running home, and ultimately a stop sign from the third base coach as he rounded the bags. 

Although there was an anti-climactic feeling to the game-winning run being stopped in his tracks as the crowd cheered for a walk-off, the Padres were in great shape. Four-time all-star Xander Bogaerts stepped into the box with the bases juiced and a chance to send fans home happy. Despite his painful struggles in a Padres uniform, Bogaerts has hit slightly better against lefties in 2025 with a 103 wRC+. This was a prime chance to have a big moment that could get him back on track. 

The opportunity was sadly cut short, as Bogaerts swung out of his shoes on a first-pitch change-up that ended up injuring him. After just one pitch, the game was called into a timeout, and Bogaerts left the field, being replaced by backup Bryce Johnson. Johnson hasn’t seen the field much in 2025 with just 17 plate appearances, but he’s been flaming hot in those chances with a 139 wRC+. 

Unsurprisingly, though, the hot bat coming off the bench was not enough to overcome the difficult circumstances of starting a plate appearance down 0-1. Johnson swiftly got fooled by back-to-back change-ups, thus giving Garcia a much-needed three-pitch strikeout. 

That strikeout was the last piece building up to a bases-loaded, two-out climax. Two-time All-Star Jake Cronenworth stepped into the box, and this time, neither team had anywhere to hide. No base to walk Cronenworth to and no righty slugger on the bench for San Diego to sub in. 

With the crowd on their feet, Garcia started things off by throwing a 96 mph fastball on the outer half for strike one. Learning from his teammates, Cronenworth then laid off a changeup in the dirt to even the count at 1-1. Pitch three was the key to the at-bat. Garcia beamed his fastest pitch of the inning, a 97 mph fastball, just off the outside corner. Cronenworth flexed his discipline and held his swing, giving him a crucial 2-1 count advantage. This led to Garcia’s biggest miss of the inning. An 87 mph slider hung up and inside that caught enough of the plate for Cronenworth to jam over the second baseman's head. Despite being just a 64 mph hit, Cronenworth's swing got the job done and secured a Padres victory. Merrill touched home, and the team bombarded Cronenworth in the outfield, celebrating an electric 10-inning triumph.

Between two lefty-lefty base hits, an improbable Arraez strikeout, two intentional walks, and two hits under 70 mph, it was an inning of chaos in San Diego this Fourth of July. No matter what, the rollercoaster was getting there, fans got to leave with fireworks, and the Padres are now one game higher in the standings, making it one to remember. 

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