For the San Diego Padres, defeating and eliminating the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend felt like winning the World Series.
Dodgers fans have ridiculed their Padres peers for years: Los Angeles won the head-to-head matchup 14-5 this year and took the NL West crown by 22 games.
The Dodgers won the head-to-head 12-7 last year and watched the Padres miss the playoffs.
Additionally, the Dodgers swept the Padres, 3-0, in the 2020 Division Series en route to a World Series championship.
So, yes: it’s fair to say Padres fans deserved the 3-1 series win they completed on Friday against the Dodgers.
They have endured a lot, and finally have a chance to smile.
One of the Padres’ stars, Wil Myers, sure knows how to celebrate.
He didn’t have the best series against the Dodgers, but nonetheless helped his team move on.
Myers Had Lots Of Reasons To Celebrate And Did Just That
He had lots of reasons to celebrate and boy, he did just that.
“Wil Myers and his wife Maggie are out in downtown San Diego, buying shots for everyone in every bar they enter and thanking fans, high-fiving and celebrating. What a moment for the longest-tenured #Padres player,” Padres reporter Annie Heilbrunn tweeted.
Of course, there is video evidence, too:
Wil Myers and his wife Maggie are out in downtown San Diego, buying shots for everyone in every bar they enter and thanking fans, high-fiving and celebrating. What a moment for the longest-tenured #Padres player. pic.twitter.com/MgwicXJ9n4
— Annie Heilbrunn (@annieheilbrunn) October 16, 2022
Myers hasn’t been the most consistent player over the course of his career, but Padres fans love him.
And he has certainly has had the best seasons of his MLB career in a Padres uniform.
2022 was not one of those brilliant years, though: in 286 plate appearances, he hit just seven home runs on a .261/.315/.398 line.
He has been even worse in the playoffs, slashing .087/.125/.217 in 24 trips to the plate, in six games.
He remains a key cog in the Padres lineup, though, and if he can catch fire in the Championship Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Padres would have another useful weapon in the lineup.
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