Pinch-hitter David Dahl and Kim Ha-seong hit back-to-back home runs in the ninth inning, lifting the Padres to a 5-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Padres took the lead for the first time when Manny Machado hit a grounder down the first-base line. Although Evan Longoria hit a homer to give the Diamondbacks a 4-3 lead in the top of the ninth, Dahl and Kim hit the biggest hits of the game. With this win, the Padres have gone above .500 for the first time this year.
Dahl and Kim’s Walk-Off Heroics
Dahl’s home run to left-center started the ninth inning off, tying the game at 4-4. Kim’s long ball to left field gave the Padres the win and was his first walk-off hit in the majors. Kim said that he wanted to keep the momentum going after Dahl’s homer and was able to get a great pitch to hit, which allowed him to walk it off. Although Dahl hit a great tying home run, he was happy to have set up Kim for the game-winning moment.
Bottom of the Lineup Gives the Padres Hope
The spotlight will be on the superstar-laden heart of the Padres’ lineup, but Dahl and Kim showed that they can deliver in the clutch too. Dahl signed as a free agent in December after playing in the minor leagues last year, and he is excited to be a part of the team. The Padres have high expectations this year after making it to the NL Championship Series last year, and they’ll get Fernando Tatis Jr. back on April 20 from an 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.
Machado’s Spectacular Play and Weathers’ Solid Performance
Machado made a spectacular leaping grab of Kyle Lewis’ line drive to prevent a run in the third inning. Ryan Weathers held the Diamondbacks to two runs and five hits in five innings, showing that he could be a valuable member of the Padres’ rotation.
