Padres' Xander Bogaerts Hits Walk-Off Grand Slam in 12th

Xander Bogaerts wasn't trying to be a hero Thursday night at Petco Park. He just wanted to get his teammate home and end the longest game San Diego had seen in nearly five years.

With the bases loaded in the 12th inning, the 14-year veteran crushed a grand slam into the left field seats. The Padres won 7-3, and 'Slam Diego' was officially back.

"I just had one job to do right there," Bogaerts said after the game. "You just try to get the run in. Didn't have to be the big hero."

But heroic it was. The home run made Bogaerts only the third Padre ever to hit a walk-off grand slam in extra innings. He joined teammates Manny Machado and former star Adrián González in that exclusive club.

The drama unfolded quickly in the 12th. Fernando Tatis Jr. surprised everyone with a sacrifice bunt to move the automatic runner to third base. The Rockies then intentionally walked both Jackson Merrill and Machado, loading the bases for Bogaerts.

The strategy backfired spectacularly. Bogaerts turned on pitcher Valente Bellozo's second pitch and sent it soaring. He took three steps backward toward the dugout and watched the ball carry over the fence before calmly dropping his bat.

The game had its share of nail-biting moments before Bogaerts' heroics. The Padres were down to their final out in the 11th inning when Luis Campusano tied it with a clutch double. Jake Cronenworth then made a spectacular defensive play in the 12th, charging a grounder and throwing home just in time to prevent Colorado from scoring.

Why This Inspires

This game showed what happens when a team refuses to quit. The Padres had flown cross-country before this marathon contest. They could have folded when facing their final out. Instead, Campusano delivered the tying hit, Cronenworth made the game-saving play, and Bogaerts provided the exclamation point.

Manager Craig Stammen praised his shortstop's hot streak. "He's just swinging it really good right now. He's got a lot of confidence."

The victory brought back memories of August 2020, when Machado's walk-off grand slam helped birth the "Slam Diego" nickname during an incredible week of power hitting. Thursday's blast was the Padres' first walk-off grand slam since then.

It was also the latest walk-off grand slam by inning count in any MLB game since September 2019, when Detroit's John Hicks accomplished the feat against Baltimore.

Even after the exhausting night, no one in the Padres clubhouse was complaining about the late finish.