Padres notes: Ha-Seong Kim’s scare, Junior passes Fernando Tatis, record crowds

His left wrist/forearm wrapped tightly in a compression sleeve, Ha-Seong Kim was optimistic as he talked about the injury scare that forced him from Sunday’s 4-0 win over the Dodgers in the fourth inning.

It was much easier to be so, too, after X-rays came back negative. The Padres’ 28-year-old shortstop was as concerned as anyone as he writhed in pain outside the batter’s box after a Walker Buehler’s 94 mph sinker ran up and into him.

“I haven’t been hit in this area before,” Kim said through interpreter David Lee. “I was pretty scared. I thought it was pretty bad myself, but as time passed I felt I was getting better. Luckily it’s getting better right now.”

The Dodgers pulling Buehler (3⅓ IP) from the game after that hit-by-pitch allowed Kim extra time to convince head athletic trainer Mark Rogow that he could remain in the game. Kim was promptly erased on a fielder’s choice and replaced at shortstop in the top half of the inning by Tyler Wade.

“Our trainer said immediately, like starting to get feeling back,” Padres manager Mike Shildt. “So you give it the opportunity during the time on the bases, then it’s an evaluation.”

Kim, who said the area is “pretty swollen up right now,” is day-to-day.

“I feel much better than the moment I got hit,” Kim said. “I’ll have to wait and see until tomorrow to see if I can play.”

All in the family

Fernando Tatis Jr.’s eighth homer of the season traveled 442 feet to center, far enough to be unsure if the souvenir would be returned to him.

Man, it would be a good one to have.

For starters, Tatis blasted it while wearing pink cleats with his mother’s name, Maria, etched on them — a fitting tribute on Mother’s Day. Also, it was Tatis’ 114^th homer in the 457^th game of his career.

Or one more that his dad hit in 949 games over an 11-year career.

“It’s a good family day,” Tatis said. “All credit to my dad, passing the knowledge. … I’m here because of him and obviously because of my mom, and it’s just a great family thing.”

Tatis said he and his father had not talked about the son approaching pop’s home run total, but the topic was sure to come up now.

Asked who would get the ball if the Padres ever tracked it down, Tatis laughed: “They can figure it out. I’m just going to put it in the middle of the table.”

Record crowds

The Padres and Dodgers drew 46,701 to Petco Park on Saturday, the largest crowd in the ballpark’s 20 seasons, and added another 43,881 on Sunday, bringing the three-game total to a record 133,970.

The previous best three-game series at Petco Park was also against the Dodgers: 133,856 from April 22-24, 2022.

Saturday’s one-game total easily broke the record of 45,567 set on March 30, 2014, an opening-day game against the Dodgers.

Certainly, Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers being in town contributed to the record being achieved. But the fact is the Padres have been drawing at a record pace all season. That is saying something, since they set a team attendance record of 3,271,554 in 2023. (That included two games in Mexico City. Their attendance at Petco Park was a record 3,232,310.)

The Padres’ average attendance at Petco Park (40,336) ranks second in the majors behind only the Dodgers this season. All three games this weekend were sold out, giving the Padres 12 sellouts so far this season.

“It’s an exciting time for Padres baseball and we are grateful for the support of our passionate and faithful fans,” CEO Erik Greupner said. “They are the best in Major League Baseball.”

Notable

• Xander Bogaerts’ fifth-inning homer was his first since April 21 against the Blue Jays, a span of 18 games. It also snapped an 0-for-18 stretch over his last five games. The home run also traveled 424 feet so Bogaerts did not have to stress a hard-hit ball getting robbed at the wall as has been his plight this year. “It felt nice,” Bogaerts said. “Finally hit one and you know it’s gone and know that no one’s going to get close to that one.”
• Robert Suarez’s scoreless ninth in a non-save situation extended his scoreless streak to 16 innings, a career high. His previous was 15⅓ innings from Sept. 6, 2022 to July 25, 2023 (he started last year on the injured list).
• Ohtani was not in the Dodgers’ lineup. He was removed for a pinch-hitter due to back tightness in the ninth inning on Saturday.

Staff writer Kevin Acee contributed to this story.