Padres walk-off slam

Xander Bogaerts ended a 12-inning game on April 9 with one swing: a bases-loaded homer into the left-field seats at Petco Park that turned a 3-3 tie into a 7-3 Padres win over Colorado. It was San Diego’s first walk-off win of 2026, and it came after the Rockies chose to pitch to Bogaerts instead of Manny Machado with the bases loaded. (mlb.com) The setup made the decision look even riskier in hindsight. Fernando Tatis Jr. opened the bottom of the 12th with a sacrifice bunt to move automatic runner Jake Cronenworth to third, then Colorado intentionally walked Jackson Merrill and Machado before Valente Bellozo threw Bogaerts a 1-0 fastball. (espn.com) That homer was Bogaerts’ ninth career grand slam and only his second as a Padre. Major League Baseball’s recap also noted it was the first Padres walk-off grand slam since Manny Machado hit one in August 2020, back when “Slam Diego” became the team’s nickname for sudden home-run avalanches. (espn.com) (mlb.com) The game had already stretched into a tug-of-war before the final swing. Brenton Doyle gave Colorado a 1-0 lead with a solo home run in the third, Fernando Tatis Jr. tied it with a sacrifice fly later that inning, Tyler Freeman put the Rockies ahead 2-1 in the 10th, Manny Machado tied it 2-2 with a sacrifice fly, Brett Sullivan made it 3-2 Rockies in the 11th, and Luis Campusano tied it again with a two-out double. (espn.com) (foxsports.com) The play before the slam kept the whole thing alive. In the top of the 12th, Jake Cronenworth threw out Willi Castro at home on a ground ball to second base, stopping the go-ahead run and preserving the 3-3 tie for San Diego’s last chance. (espn.com) There was another late-game detail that fed the drama in the ballpark. Padres closer Mason Miller struck out the side in the ninth on 10 pitches, and the Associated Press recap said his scoreless streak reached 27 2/3 innings dating to last season, with 58 strikeouts and only five hits allowed in that run. (espn.com) The win also nudged San Diego’s early-season record in a cleaner direction. The Padres moved to 7-6, which pushed them above.500 for the first time in 2026, while the Rockies fell to 6-7 after bringing a four-game winning streak into Petco Park. (espn.com) (si.com) That is why the clip exploded so fast after the final out. It was not just a home run; it was a bases-loaded gamble by Colorado, the longest game at Petco Park in nearly five years, and a finish that dropped straight into a fan memory bank already wired for “Slam Diego.” (mlb.com)