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Guardians Padres Baseball
San Diego Padres' Jackson Merrill watches his two-run home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians 307Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jackson Merrill hit a two-run homer a few hours after finalizing a $135 million, nine-year contract and the San Diego Padres started 7-0 for the first time in their 57-season history by beating the Cleveland Guardians 5-2 on Wednesday.
Fernando Tatis Jr. raced home on the back end of a double steal to start the scoring in the four-run third inning for the Padres, whose previous best start was 4-0 in 1984, when they went to their first World Series.