The Padres blew a 7-3 lead on June 15, 2025, as Robert Suárez imploded in the 9th. See how the D-backs stunned San Diego with an 8-7 walk-off win.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
You have to see it to believe it, and even then, you might not. What looked like a comfortable series-clinching victory for the San Diego Padres evaporated in a puff of desert dust Sunday, as a catastrophic ninth-inning meltdown handed the Arizona Diamondbacks an 8-7 walk-off win. A four-run lead, three outs to go—it was a script for success that somehow turned into a gut-wrenching tragedy.
Leading 7-3 entering the bottom of the ninth, the Padres surrendered five runs to lose 8-7 on a walk-off infield single.
It was a nightmare inning from start to finish. Closer Robert Suárez, brought in for a non-save situation, simply didn't have it. Three straight singles loaded the bases, and a Ketel Marte infield hit chipped away at the lead. The knockout blow came from Geraldo Perdomo, whose bases-clearing triple stunned the Padres and tied the game at 7-7. Adrian Morejon came in to stop the bleeding, but Josh Naylor's hustle on another infield single was enough to bring Perdomo home, completing the improbable comeback and leaving the Friars in shock.
As if the loss wasn't painful enough, the Padres are now holding their breath over the status of star center fielder Jackson Merrill. After being thrown out to end the seventh inning, Merrill was tagged on the helmet during his head-first slide. He walked off the field under his own power but was immediately removed from the game for Brandon Lockridge. The team provided no immediate update, leaving fans to worry about a potential head injury for one of the team's most dynamic young players.
Before the ninth-inning disaster, there were plenty of positives. Rookie starter Ryan Bergert continued to look like a real find, battling through five innings while striking out eight Diamondbacks. It was his third impressive start, solidifying his case for a permanent rotation spot and validating the hype he carried from the farm system. At the plate, Gavin Sheets was on fire, going a perfect 3-for-3 and launching his 12th home run of the season. A four-run seventh inning, powered by key hits from Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado, seemed to have put the game away.
This loss drops the Padres to 38-29, a tough pill to swallow in a tight divisional race. While the bullpen faltered today, the emergence of players like Ryan Bergert from a top-heavy farm system remains a bright spot. With top prospects Leo De Vries and Ethan Salas developing, the organization's strategy of building through high-ceiling talent is bearing fruit, but today's game showed that major league execution is what ultimately matters.
This is a loss that will sting. Dropping to 38-29 in this fashion is a brutal momentum killer. The team now has to regroup, shake off one of the worst losses of the year, and await news on Jackson Merrill's health. The focus shifts to how this resilient group, and especially the bullpen, will respond. One game doesn't define a season, but this collapse in the desert is a harsh reminder of how quickly things can change in baseball.
