That was, eventually, much better.
Playing in front of fans for the first time in a real game since they were a bad team and wore blue, the Padres squandered a large lead Thursday before coming back to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-7 on opening day at Petco Park. (Box score)
Down 7-6 as they came to bat in the sixth inning, having lost a 6-1 lead in a span of seven batters in the previous inning, the Padres tied the game on Eric Hosmer’s third run-scoring hit of the game. Jake Cronenworth led off the seventh with a triple off the right field wall, and Jurickson Profar gave the Padres the lead for good with a sacrifice fly.
Drew Pomeranz struck out three batters in a 21-pitch eighth inning, and Mark Melancon took seven pitches to get through a perfect ninth inning for the save.
Following a season played with no fans in ballparks, one that saw the Padres make their first playoff appearance in 14 years, a small but spirited crowd showed up to see the team in brown and gold in person.
A chant of “Let’s go Padres” rang out while the game’s second batter was at the plate.
When Fernando Tatis Jr. came to bat with the bases loaded in the second inning, a chant of “MVP” could be heard from various points in the park.
And when the Padres were scoring six unanswered runs between the second and fourth innings, it was difficult to believe a crowd of 8,873 was making so much noise.
Before the Diamondbacks hit four home runs in the fifth inning, two that drove Yu Darvish from the game and two off reliever Tim Hill, there was plenty to cheer as the Padres demonstrated what patience and situational hitting are supposed to look like.
They appeared on their way to handing a loss to Arizona starter Madison Bumgarner for a third straight opening day by taking a 6-1 lead with two runs in the second inning, three in the third and another in the fourth.
Back-to-back home runs by Hosmer, who would finish 3-for-4 with three RBIs, and Wil Myers put them up 4-1, Victor Caratini’s second RBI single made it 5-1 in the third inning. Hosmer’s double in the fourth inning drove in the sixth run.
It all began with a nine-pitch walk.
Bumgarner got through the first inning in eight pitches and struck out Hosmer on four pitches and had Myers down 1-2 to start the second inning. Myers then forced six more pitches from Bumgarner to become the Padres’ first baserunner of 2020.
A single by Cronenworth and walk by Profar loaded the bases before Caratini lofted a soft line drive into center field to give the Padres a 2-1 lead.
Bumgarner ended up throwing 32 pitches in the inning, finally finishing it by striking out Tatis with the bases loaded again.
The ornery left-hander would throw 33 more pitches in the third inning, and he wasn’t pleased. He barked at Ted Barrett when the home plate umpire approached the mound to break up a meeting between Bumgarner and catcher Stephen Vogt.
The 6-1 lead came in the fourth inning when Tatis scored easily from second base on a two-out double down the right field line by Hosmer.
The Diamondbacks took a 1-0 lead in a unique first inning for Yu Darvish. He threw 22 pitches, 17 of them strikes. But the Diamondbacks waited him out and capitalized twice with two strikes.
Of their three singles, two came with two strikes, including Asdrúbal Cabrera’s RBI single on an 0-2 knuckle curve.
Darvish yielded a two-out double to Bumgarner in the second, a lead-off double to Ketel Marte in the third and a two-out double to Pavel Smith in the fourth but didn’t allow another run until the fifth.
He was at 77 pitches after four innings, and pitchers began to stretch in the Padres bullpen.
After retiring Josh Rojas on one pitch, Darvish left a cutter in the middle of the plate that Marte smacked over the center field wall to make it a four-run game.
That got Hill throwing, and the left-hander entered the game after Cabrera followed a walk to Christian Walker by hitting a towering homer to right field that cut the Padres’ lead to 6-4.
Darvish left to applause and calls of “Yuuu” as several fans stood. He threw 93 pitches, 64 of them strikes.
Hill appeared to get out of the inning on a grounder to shortstop, but Tatis’ throw sailed wide of the bag, and Eduard Escobar was safe at first. Three pitches later, the game was tied when Smith sent a ball to the left field seats.
Vogt, the next batter, then appeared to strike out on a swing he tried to hold up, but third base umpire Jose Navas ruled Vogt had not gone around. By the time he did, Hill was off the mound and Caratini was out of his crouch and three steps toward the dugout.
Vogt hit the next pitch just inside the right field foul pole and over the wall to give the Diamondbacks a 7-6 lead.
El Capitan High and Southwestern College alumnus Kevin Ginkel walked Cronenworth to start the fifth inning before getting Profar on a double play grounder and striking out Caratini.
In his first major league plate appearance, pinch hitter Tucupita Marcano led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a walk, went to second on Tommy Pham’s single and scored the tying run on a two-out single up the middle by Hosmer.