For three innings the Washington Nationals seemed well on their way to a pivotal series win over the San Diego Padres. The Nationals jumped out to an 8-0 lead. All-Star shortstop Trea Turner hit two home runs. Washington’s offense chased Padres starter Yu Darvish off the mound.
Then in the fourth the wheels fell off. Scherzer couldn’t find a rhythm. He couldn’t find the strike zone. Fernando Tatis Jr. blasted a solo shot to get San Diego on the board. Scherzer then hit two batters, loaded the bases.
Then the unthinkable happened. Padres manager Jayce Tingler didn’t want to dig any deeper into his bullpen.
So with bases loaded of an 8-2 game, he let rookie reliever Daniel Camarena step to the plate. And the kid delivered!
Camarena jumped on a 1-2 fastball to hit an improbable grand slam, cutting the Nats lead to 8-6.
It’s the first home run Scherzer has ever given up to an opposing pitcher. The blast was the first grand slam hit by a reliever since 1985. It was also’s Camarena’s first MLB career hit.
What made the historic moment even sweeter for San Diego native Camarena was the fact his family was in attendance. And they were ecstatic!
The Padres hung seven runs off Scherzer in the inning. Once an 8-0 Nationals lead turned into 8-7 one-run game. Ultimately, San Diego tied the game in the sixth. Then in the ninth Trent Grisham put the finishing touches on their rally.
With runners on second and third, Grisham delivered a walk-off RBI single to score Tommy Pham to give San Diego the 9-8 win.
Instead of taking three of four and reaching a .500 record, the Nationals settled for a four-game split with the Padres. Now, Washington limps to San Francisco for their series with the Giants at 42-44.
