The San Diego Padres are 7-0 after a 5-2 victory over the Cleveland Guardians at Petco Park on Wednesday afternoon.
The big story of the game was center fielder Jackson Merrill’s two-run homer in the third to give the Padres a 4-0 lead. His 388-foot shot into right center couldn’t have come at a better time, because earlier in the day the Padres had given him a massive nine-year, $135M contract extension that he immediately made good on.
Merrill, 21, is hitting .417 this early season with an OBP of .444. He has 10 hits, two home runs and eight RBI so far.
That home run got the headlines and it was the feel-good story of the day, but the backdrop to it all is that San Diego’s 7-0 start is historic.
This is the best start in franchise history by the Padres, and they’re playing incredible baseball. They swept the Atlanta Braves to start the season and have now swept the Guardians.
The Padres are second in MLB in team batting average at .299 and first in team ERA at 1.50. They’re doing it with both offense and defense.
“It’s just been great baseball all the way around,” Fernando Tatis Jr. said, according to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. “We have a great ballclub over here, and we came out of the gate on the right foot.”
“It’s just good baseball every night,” manager Mike Shildt added. “… We can beat you in a lot of different ways.”
Perhaps more impressive than their historic start is the fact that the Padres have been able to match the star-studded Los Angeles Dodgers (also 7-0) in the NL West.
Up next for San Diego is an away series against the Chicago Cubs.
