San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. made it to the MLB and became a true star. He's one of the best young players in baseball. However, the Dominican right fielder isn't the only one in his family with great sporting success. The Tatis family is full of rich baseball history and Fernando is taking the legacy forward.
Fernando Tatis Jr.'s father, Fernando Tatis Sr., was also an MLB player. He holds the MLB record for the most RBI in one inning, as he hit two grand slams in a single inning in 1999.
No other player has ever done this. Tatis Jr. has outdone many of his father's stats already, but that's one he will have difficulty replicating.
However, the family's success story is not limited to Fernando Tatis Sr. and Tatis Jr. The San Diego Padres star's grandfather also played professional baseball. He played for the Houston Astros organization from 1969 to 1978.
To add to the family's legacy, Tatis Jr.'s brother also played professional baseball. He is a former rookie league player with the Chicago White Sox and recorded 229 MiLB at-bats, hitting .140 with a .388 OPS. He has since been released and is no longer playing.
Fernando Tatis Jr. makes a return to lineup
Fernando Tatis Jr. had been out of the San Diego Padres lineup with injury since June 21, when they faced the Milwaukee Brewers.
Finally, on September 2, he made his return to the lineup and bolstered a team that is making a playoff push. They're currently five games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers and 3.5 games up for the first wild card.
Tatis Jr. returned to face the Detroit Tigers, though his impact was not measurable. He got loud cheers from the crowd, but he ended up going hitless in four at-bats with one strikeout. The Tigers pitching staff limited him, but the team did win 3-0 on the strength of multi-hit days from Luis Arraez and Jackson Merrill.
If the Padres are to maintain their lead in the wild card or even catch the Dodgers, they'll need Fernando Tatis Jr. to get back into the swing of things offensively.