Padres’ Christian Villanueva Hits Three Home Runs
Third baseman Christian Villanueva with the San Diego Padres hit three homers in a 3-for-3 night. He had five RBIs as the Padres beat the Colorado Rockies at home 8-4 Tuesday night.
In the second and fourth, Villanueva hit solo home runs off starter Kyle Freeland. He also added a three-run homer in the seventh off reliever Antonio Senzatela.
Home run No. 1 was estimated to be 400 feet long as it hit the façade of the building behind the wall in the corner of left field. That home run came with one out. His second homer was 399 feet in length to left field and landed in the second deck. His final home run of the game was also to left field and traveled an estimated 390 feet.
Villanueva and Hunter Renfroe are now the only rookies for the Padres to ever hit three home runs in the same game. Villanueva is the third player in the first five games for San Diego this season to start at third. He became the seventh player for San Diego overall to hit three homers in a single game.
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Villanueva was hitless in four at bats versus Milwaukee last Sunday, which until Tuesday was the only playing time he had seen since the start of the season last Thursday. The third baseman’s batting average for the season now sits at .429.
Through his interpreter, Villanueva called the three-homer game another dream come true. It added that it was extra special since the team won its first game of the season as well.
Last September Villanueva made his debut with San Diego and in just 12 games playing for the Padres, the Guadalajara, Mexico native hit .344 with four home runs and seven RBIs.
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The third baseman called his three-homer night luck. Explaining it was a night where you enjoy the moment and things turn out just the way you dreamed.
Christian Villanueva made San Diego’s final 25-man roster thanks to a hot spring training and on Wednesday will be the starting third baseman said Andy Green the team’s manager.
Green also added that it was fun watching players succeed the way Christian Villanueva did on Tuesday and to see how players like him earn everything they are getting, by fighting his ways from the minors to the big leagues.
