Merrill’s walk‑off highlight

Jackson Merrill finished San Diego’s 7-6 comeback over Seattle with a two-run walk-off double after saving a run earlier at the wall. (mlb.com) The Padres trailed 6-2 after five innings and were still down 6-3 with two outs in the ninth before Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a pinch-hit sacrifice fly, Luis Campusano singled home a run, and Ramón Laureano added another run-scoring hit. Merrill then lined Jose A. Ferrer’s pitch into the left-field corner to score the tying and winning runs. (espn.com.au) Earlier, Merrill took a home run away from Julio Rodríguez in the third inning at Petco Park, reaching over the higher center-field wall on a deep drive to straightaway center. It was another highlight in Merrill’s second season after he converted from infield to outfield in his 2024 rookie year. (mlb.com) San Diego’s win was its seventh straight and its third walk-off during that streak. The Padres had not won a game after trailing by at least four runs in the ninth inning since 2017, and had not done it from four runs down entering the ninth since June 14, 2019. (mlb.com) The rally also covered for a rough first half from San Diego’s pitching. Randy Vásquez allowed four runs in four innings, Luke Raley homered and collected a career-high four hits for Seattle, and Xander Bogaerts’ sixth-inning two-run homer kept the Padres close enough to chase the game late. (espn.com.au) Elsewhere on Wednesday, Shohei Ohtani struck out a season-high 10 Mets over six innings in the Dodgers’ 8-2 win. Los Angeles used him only as a pitcher for the first time since 2021 because he was nursing a bruised right shoulder after being hit by a pitch on Monday. (mlb.com) Ohtani allowed one run, hit 100 miles per hour four times, and struck out the side in a perfect sixth inning to finish a three-game sweep. He said the main difference from not hitting was that “in between innings felt a little longer than normal,” through interpreter Will Ireton. (mlb.com) For one night, two of baseball’s clearest snapshots came from opposite coasts: Merrill turned a loss into a Padres win in San Diego, and Ohtani turned a shoulder concern into his sharpest pitching line of the season in Los Angeles. (mlb.com 1) (mlb.com 2)