Machado Leads Padres in Career Homers as Tatis Homers in 7-3 Win

In a thrilling game on Tuesday night, the San Diego Padres secured a 7-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. The spotlight shone brightly on Manny Machado, who hit a two-run homer, making him the all-time home run leader for the Padres.

Machado’s historic 164th home run for San Diego came in the sixth inning, sending a powerful line drive to center field off Mariners pitcher George Kirby, extending the Padres’ lead to 5-2. He watched the ball soar, clocking an exit velocity of nearly 109 mph as it left the bat.

This homer marked Machado’s 26th of the season and allowed him to surpass Nate Colbert’s record, solidifying his place in franchise history. Over his career, Machado has amassed a total of 339 home runs across his time with the Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Padres.

Fernando Tatis Jr. also made his mark in the game, hitting a crucial three-run homer that put San Diego ahead earlier. His opposite-field drive to right gave the Padres a 3-2 lead and was his first home run since returning from the injured list, where he had been due to a stress reaction in his right thighbone since June 20.

Machado’s stellar performance didn’t stop with the home run. He contributed further by hitting a two-run single in the seventh inning. The ball deflected off pitcher Austin Voth and landed in center field, adding more runs to the Padres’ growing tally.

Yu Darvish took the mound for the Padres, pitching five solid innings in his second start since rejoining the team. Darvish (5-3) allowed two solo home runs to Cal Raleigh and Luke Raley but managed to navigate out of a potential trouble spot in the third inning. After the Mariners put the first two batters on, Darvish struck out Julio Rodríguez and Randy Arozarena in succession, along with a flyout from Raleigh.

Throughout his five innings, Darvish permitted seven hits but impressively struck out five without issuing any walks. Raleigh’s home run marked his 30th of the season, a notable achievement that places him among only a dozen catchers in major league history with multiple seasons of 30 or more homers. J.P. Crawford added an RBI single in the seventh, but relief pitcher Jason Adam managed to coax a double play from Rodríguez, ending the Mariners’ threat with the bases loaded.

On the other side, Kirby (11-11) struggled, giving up five earned runs. Recently, he has found himself dealing with home run troubles, having allowed 11 over his last seven starts after surrendering just two during his previous 12 outings this season.

In lineup changes, Xander Bogaerts made his first appearance of the season at shortstop for the Padres, a position he is familiar with, having played over 1,300 games there in his career. His shift to shortstop provides much-needed clarity for the Padres as they await the return of regular shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, who has been sidelined since August 18 due to right shoulder inflammation. Bogaerts was immediately involved, securing the first two outs of the inning with both a popout and a grounder.

Looking ahead, the Padres will rely on pitcher Michael King (12-8, 3.10 ERA), who is coming off a strong performance against San Francisco, where he allowed just one run in six innings. Meanwhile, the Mariners will send out Bryan Woo (7-2, 2.36 ERA), who has been effective in his recent outings, securing wins in his last two decisions and allowing only two runs in his previous five-inning start against Oakland.