The San Diego Padres promoted outfielder Jackson Merrill to their Major League Baseball roster three years after they selected him in the first round of the 2021 amateur draft. That decision paid off big time during their June 12 game against the Oakland Athletics.
With the score tied at four in the bottom of the ninth inning, Merrill sent Mason Miller's pitch into the right-field stands. That hit, his second in the game, gave the Padres a 5-4 victory.
Meanwhile, MLB statistics expert Sarah Langs pointed out that Merrill is the youngest player in the divisional era to have multiple home runs in a game, including a walk-off blast. He's also the youngest Padres player to hit a walk-off home run.
Merrill's first home run versus Oakland came in the bottom of the fifth inning when he drilled Hogan Harris' pitch over the center field wall, making the count 2-0 Padres. His next home run, his fifth this season, gave San Diego their 37th victory in 72 games.
After the victory, Merrill shared with Padres radio broadcaster Sammy Levitt:
"All we care about is winning… we're gonna fight as long as we possibly can, you know we're there in the end every day."
Jackson Merrill after his walk-off homer:
— Sammy Levitt (@SammyLev) June 13, 2024
"All we care about is winning… we're gonna fight as long as we possibly can, you know we're there in the end every day."
This answer will fire you up, Padres fans. pic.twitter.com/26IjcRHxK0
The 21-year-old center fielder is one of three Padres players who had a hit against the Athletics. Merrill and third baseman Donovan Solano were the only players with multiple hits.
Getting two hits in four at-bats versus Oakland improved Merrill's hitting numbers to .279/.314/.389 with 28 runs and 26 RBIs. His performance also gave the Padres a three-game sweep against the Athletics.
Merrill and the Padres will be back in action on June 14 to kick off a six-game road schedule. The team will start with a three-game series against the New York Mets. They will head to Philadelphia three days later to compete with the National League-leading Phillies.
-Lance Fernandez