Fernando Tatis Jr. added juice to the Padres-Dodgers rivalry Saturday night by expertly trolling LA starter Trevor Bauer. Twice.
Tatis got his first chance when he led off the game with a home run against the right-hander at Dodger Stadium. As Tatis got between first and second base, he turned toward the Padres' dugout and . . .
Well, see for yourself:
Yes, Tatis was letting everyone know that he remembered Bauer pitching with one eye closed against the Padres in spring training.
MORE: Tatis marks anniversary of dad's feat with two HRs in LA
Bauer told reporters after that outing that he was having fun and testing himself.
"I figured if they can’t score off of me with one eye open, it will be difficult to score off me with two eyes open," he said. "Just having a little bit of fun. There’s definitely a reason behind it. If I wanted to share, I would have already."
Tatis had something else for Bauer after homering against him again in the sixth. As Tatis crossed home plate, he mimicked Bauer's strut, which actually is Bauer paying homage to MMA star Conor McGregor.
Tatis told reporters after the Padres' 5-4 loss that he was responding to what Bauer did to him when the teams met in San Diego last Sunday. Bauer screamed and pounded his chest in celebration after striking out Tatis.
Tatis on his trolling Bauer tonight “He got me at home so payback time.” #Padres pic.twitter.com/NT6luiNOjG
— Jim Russell (@JimRussellSD) April 25, 2021
Bauer, for his part, said he was fine with Tatis doing it and with hitters in general celebrating. Bauer's response to a question about Tatis begins at 43 seconds in the video below.
"I'm all for it. I think it's important that the game moves in that direction and we stop throwing at people because they celebrated having some success on the field." @BauerOutage on Fernando Tatis Jr.'s celebrations. pic.twitter.com/RdLMAWhQVD
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) April 25, 2021
Saturday's game marked the sixth meeting between the NL West clubs in the season's first month. Each team has won three games. Game 7 will be Sunday in Los Angeles.
