The 30-year-old right-hander has been a revelation since his arrival in San Diego, posting a 1.93 ERA with 43 strikeouts in just 28 1/3 innings.
"[I'm] comfortable," Yates said of pitching for the Padres. "They've allowed me to be myself. I had some things that I wanted to do within myself, that I thought I needed to do. They've let me do that and helped me along the way."
The best example, Yates says, is his split-finger fastball, a critical third pitch in his arsenal. Yates had spent time with the Rays, Yankees and Angels, but the Padres were the first team to truly nurture his splitter.