LOS ANGELES — As bizarre as it is to comprehend, Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. never has laced up his spikes for a playoff game in front of fans.
The bouncing dreadlocks, the blast-punctuating bat flips, the home run hitch-and-hesitation before rounding third base all have been shelved.
In 2020, the global pandemic emptied stadiums. In 2021 and ’23, the Padres misfired magnificently. In 2022, during an exhilarating sprint to the National League Championship Series, Tatis watched from the sidelines because of a PED suspension.
Now, Tatis has a chance. Now, he has the stage.
And a memorable September ramp-up provides the sense that one of the most dynamic players in the game plans to do something with it.
“I missed a lot, so I’m definitely looking forward to being a part of something special,” Tatis said.
Tatis has homered in five straight series, including the one that wrapped up Thursday night against the currently top-seeded Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.
The career .252 hitter in September has heated up as the weather has cooled, a telling indicator that he’s healthy and dialed in at perhaps the perfect time.
Tatis entered Thursday hitting .311 during a tear that began Sept. 4. His 1.018 OPS during that stretch, the gold standard measurement of on-base plus slugging percentage, has been supercharged with 12 extra-base hits in a 13-game burst.
When he launched a fifth-inning homer to tie the Dodgers on Wednesday, the 448-foot, 114.4-mph night-piercer was the longest by a Padres slugger this season.
Tatis owns five of the team’s seven longest home runs this season. He singled in his first trip to the plate Thursday. He’s hitting the ball hard, far and a lot.
“He’s one of the best hitters in the game when he’s doing that,” teammate Manny Machado said Thursday. “He’s seeing the ball well. He’s healthy. He’s feeling good. He’s nasty when he’s on.
“It’s a great time for him to turn on.”
For a long time, Tatis has been appointment viewing … regardless of loyalties or dugouts.
Padres hitting coach Victor Rodriguez reminds him of that often.
“I told him many times, even when I was in another dugout, when Tatis came to hit, everybody stopped because something was going to happen,” Rodriguez said. “I’m talking about being a visitor. That’s the kind of player he is and what he brings.
“Every at-bat he has a chance to do something special.”
A warming Tatis should be a warming thought for the Padres. The teams they’re about to face, starting with the Diamondbacks on Friday, come with playoff implications galore.
Tatis has hit .304 against the Mets and a robust .327 versus the Braves, possible wild-card-round opponents. He’s been white hot when facing the Diamondbacks, a .332 hitter with a burly 1.134 OPS and career-best 139 total bases.
“He knows how to step up in the big moments and everybody knows that,” Machado said. “He’s never shied (away) from it. I think he’s going to be a big key for us trying to accomplish what we want to accomplish.”
The surge has come against a diverse group of opponents in a variety of situations. He’s also homered against the White Sox, Astros, Giants and Mariners during his baseball-bludgeoning run.
Rodriguez said it’s an even better sign when the bat waits.
“If you make a mistake, he’s going to make you pay,” Rodriquez said. “But he understands when he needs to take a walk. Like we saw (in Game 2 on Wednesday), a first at-bat walk. You see a guy doing that the first at-bat, that means he’s locked in and slowing things down.
“Then he’s ready to hit a pitch that he can drive. And that’s what he did the whole game.”
Tatis showed he has earned validation from Dodger Stadium fans while being showered with the the second loudest set of boos behind Machado.
That means he’s a threat.
“Fernando’s Fernando,” Machado said. “He knows what he’s capable of doing.
Stir in fans for one of the most energized players in the game and the anticipation spikes.
Rising to the moment, they say.
“Everybody knows what he brings to the game,” Rodriguez said. “I think it will be good to see (with fans in the playoffs) because this guy is an emotional player. Everything he does is to be in this kind of position, the playoffs.
“Everyone’s going to get to know who Fernando Tatis is.”
Tatis says he’s ready. He seems ready.
As the importance mounts with each step, everyone is about to find out.
“It’s going to feel amazing,” Tatis said.
After all, it’s been a long wait.
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