After the last out in the top of the first had been recorded the scoreboard read: BAL 4, SD 0. Sitting in the stands at Petco Park on a Sunday afternoon I could feel the overwhelming sense of exasperation. The Padres had lost the night before and imploded for 4 runs in the first inning of a game that would decide if they would remain atop the division. Normally, fans in San Diego are fairly indifferent when it comes to the Padres, but this year is not normal. An early season filled with clutch victories and extremely dominant pitching has fans arriving to the ballpark ready to root their team to victory with pride.
The Padres chipped away at the Orioles' lead with an RBI double by Adrian Gonzalez in Bot 1 and scored another run in the 2nd via an embarassing gaffe by O's first baseman Luke Scott. Now down 4-2, the Padres stepped up to the plate and promptly changed the outcome of the game. Nick Hundley started the scoring by whacking an RBI single into left field. Next up to bat was Will Venable, who had been hitting .225 with 4 homeruns on the season. He got into a hitters' count and then launched a towering homerun (389 ft.) into the right field stands. Now up 6-4, San Diego began to cruise. They tacked on one more run with a Venable RBI single in the 5th and completely separated themselves from the Orioles when Hundley stepped up to the plate in the seventh. He ripped a fastball over the fence for a 2-run blast, giving the Pads a 9-4 lead that would last until the final out.
Throughout the game the players were shown on the big screen giving Happy Father's Day wishes to their dads. Not only did they wish their fathers a happy day during the game, but they gave them something to celebrate after the game by winning convincingly.
One more thing: I would like to wish my dad, grandfather, and all the other dads out there a Happy Father's Day.
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