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Tatis Jr. returns to playoffs with towering 2-run homer for Padres in 4-0 win

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr. and his swagger returned to the playoffs with a blast.

The 25-year-old San Diego star hit a towering two-run homer on his first playoff swing in four seasons to give the Padres a 2-0 lead against rookie AJ Smith-Shawver and the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of their Wild Card Series on Tuesday night. The Padres went on to win 4-0.

The first-inning shot traveled 415 feet into the second deck in left field at Petco Park and sent the sellout, towel-waving crowd of 47,647 into a frenzy. The dreadlocked Dominican, who has always played with flair, watched the ball sail away, tossed his bat aside, gestured toward the home dugout and did his signature stutter step around third base.

“I knew it was going to go out,” Tatis said. “I didn’t know it was going to land in the second deck just because how high it was.”

He slipped a little bit on his swing.

“But I was fortunate enough to get my bat path where I wanted. And next thing we know, the ball was in the stands,” Tatis said.

The son of a former big league infielder, Tatis missed about 2 1/2 months this season with a stress reaction in his right thighbone. He returned in early September and finished the regular season with 21 homers and a .276 average.

He homered on a 94 mph four-seamer by the 21-year-old Smith-Shawver, one of the Braves’ top prospects. He was making his first playoff start and just his second this season.

Luis Arraez was aboard on a leadoff single. Arraez, obtained in a trade with Miami in early May, became the first player since the 1800s to win batting titles with three teams.

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