Los Angeles Dodgers' reason for removing Fernando Tatis Jr. plaque
Fernando Tatis Jr. earned a plaque at Dodger Stadium for his 467-foot slug in 2021, but it was removed when the San Diego Padres came to Los Angeles for a heated four-game series
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Dodgers has explained why a plaque honoring San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. has been removed from the top of Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers and the Padres recently went to battle in a four-game series, with three-time MLB MVP Shohei Ohtani pitching at over 100mph after he returned to the mound for the first time in nearly two years. However, eight batters were hit during the series, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was ejected, and the benches were cleared following a brawl in the finale.
While it was a fascinating encounter over four days, one fan noticed that Tatis Jr.'s plaque was no longer displayed at Dodger Stadium. The Padres star earned the plaque for his 467-foot drive on Sept. 30, 2021, but the removal is only temporary.
Tatis Jr.'s plaque is near additional signs for retired duo Mark McGwire and Mike Piazza. A fan posted his findings to Reddit, and Padres fans began speculating that the Dodgers had removed it from the stadium.
While that turned out to be true, a Dodgers spokesperson clarified that Tatis Jr.'s plaque had been damaged, and a new one would be installed. The Dodgers are unaware of how the damage occurred but confirmed that it would be replaced.
Tatis Jr.'s 467-foot home run in 2021 was the sixth to exit Dodger Stadium and remains the last time anyone managed to drill the ball out of the park. According to team records, the other players who cleared the stadium were Giancarlo Stanton, McGwire, Piazza, and Willie Stargell, who did so on two occasions.
Despite his famous slug, Tatis Jr. admitted that he doesn't like playing at Dodger Stadium. "Everybody knows Dodgers fans," Tatis Jr. said during the recent series. "It’s part of the circus. I just don’t like it. I don’t like it at all."
To make matters worse, Tatis Jr. was caught by a 93mph fastball during the series, as he narrowly avoided serious injury. Tatis Jr. was hit by rookie right-hander Jack Little, who was making his MLB debut.
The hit led to a bench-clearing brawl, finally releasing pent-up frustrations. Padres manager Mike Shildt ran onto the field and began shouting at the Dodgers dugout, with most of his anger directed at Roberts.
Padres third baseman and former Dodgers player Manuel Machado alleged that Roberts proceeded to make contact with Shildt. "I definitely saw that contact," Machado said. "I think (Roberts) wanted some smoke.
"Shildty said, 'What’s up, let’s go. Where you at?' I guess (Roberts) stayed on the other side. I guess you just kind of want that smoke with just fans watching (and) your team behind you, not solo. So, yeah, I mean, we’re still waiting."
Despite being at the center of the brawl, Tatis Jr. had a cooler head when it came to evaluating the hits that took place. "Just clean it up," he said.
"I come over here to play baseball, and that’s all my intention to do on the field. But all the other crap, we don’t have time. If you can’t control it, you make a better attack approach."