Associated press

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr. and his swagger returned to the playoffs with gusto.

The 25-year-old San Diego star hit a towering two-run homer during his first playoff swing in four seasons to give the Padres a 2-0 lead against rookie AJ ​​Smith-Shawver and the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of their Wild Card Series on Tuesday evenings. The Padres went on to win 4-0.

The first-inning shot reached 400 feet into the second deck in left field at Petco Park and sent the sold-out, towel-waving crowd of 47,647 into a frenzy. The dreadlocked Dominican, who has always played with flair, saw the ball sail away, threw his bat aside, gestured toward the dugout and took his trademark stuttering step around third base.

“I knew we were going to break up,” Tatis said. “I didn’t know it was going to land on the second deck just because it was so high.”

He slipped a little on his swing.

“But I was lucky enough to get my bat path where I wanted it to be. And before we knew it, the ball was in the stands,” Tatis said.

Tatis, the son of a former big league infielder, missed about 2 1/2 months this season with a stress reaction in his right femur. He returned in early September and finished the regular season with 21 home runs and a .276 average.

He homered on a 90-mph four-seamer by 21-year-old Smith-Shawver, one of the Braves’ top players. He was making his first playoff start and only his second this season.

Luis Arraez was on board after a leadoff single. Arraez, acquired in a trade with Miami in early May, became the first player since the 19th century to win batting titles with three teams.

Right-hander Michael King, who was brilliant in winning his first playoff start, said he was in the dugout with catcher Kyle Higashioka.

“I couldn’t see Tati, but I heard it,” King said. “And because the crack of the bat was louder than the crack of the fans, you knew it was hit really hard. And then I looked up and thought it was going out of the stadium. The thing was crushed.

“It was huge for me and my plan of attack to have a two-run lead right out of the first inning,” said King, who struck out 12, walked none and allowed just five hits. “And also huge to get Tati going, because he’s going to play a big role for us this postseason.”

Padres manager Mike Shildt said the homer was “pretty special. Said it from the start, laser to the left. And Tati wasted no time. I have a pitch that you can hit and put a big swing on it. That was huge to get us up.”

Tatis experienced his first postseason game with fans in the stands. His first playoff appearance came in 2020, after the pandemic-shortened season. He missed San Diego’s run to the 2022 NL Championship Series after receiving an 80-game performance-enhancing drug suspension from MLB in August.

“It’s beautiful energy,” Tatis said. “I like these kinds of situations. It definitely brings out the best in me. And I look forward to many more experiences like this.”

His home run came on the anniversary of his two home runs in a 2020 Wild Card Series game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Shildt, who led the Padres in his first season, was then the skipper of St. Louis.

Fans were not allowed into the stadium at the time due to the pandemic. Tuesday night, Petco Park was sold out, as it has been for most of the regular season.

“It is very worthwhile. It is one of the greatest sights the game has to offer a baseball player,” Tatis said of the reception he received as he ran to right field to start the game. “Just driving your audience crazy is what we dream of as a child. Hitting a home run in a clutch spot in a postseason, which means there’s definitely something you’re working for. And those are certainly memories that you will take with you forever.

Tatis was an All-Star at shortstop in 2021. He was moved to right field in 2023 and won both an NL Gold Glove and the Platinum Glove Award.

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