Six years ago, the trade deadline ed, Kirby Yates remained in the Padres clubhouse and, believe it or not, breathed a sigh of relief.
The Padres were not headed to the postseason that year. But they were headed somewhere and he wanted to go along for the ride.
“That was always the talk,” Yates said. “It wasn’t like we were going to be doormats or be that team forever, you know? One year, you sign (Eric) Hosmer and the next year you sign Manny (Machado). It’s like, OK, we’re actually going towards that. You can kind of see it. Then (Fernando Tatis Jr.) came up in ‘19, it’s like, OK, now we got some really good players.”
Yates was right. He just never got to fully participate in the actual rise.
He threw in just six games at the start of the COVID-shortened 2020 season before bone chips in his elbow ended his season as the Padres were rising toward the postseason. He’s since watched the rise from afar — from the Blue Jays’ injured list in 2021, with the Braves in 2022 and 2023 and the Rangers last year. On Monday, Yates returned to Petco Park as a member of a team that those old Padres didn’t beat all that much during his stay in San Diego, the Dodgers.
“It’s good for them,” Yates said of what the Padres have grown into since his departure. “But I’m trying to beat them now. … I’ve been playing against them for a few years now, but now I’m on the team that they don’t really like over there.”
Yates and reliever Michael Kopech returned from the injured list over the weekend, but they swapped places with right-hander Tony Gonsolin as the Dodgers’ injury woes continued. The Dodgers have 14 pitchers on the injured list, including expensive acquisitions Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki.
To be part of a $337 million machine that kept chugging along at the top of the NL West anyway has been an entirely new experience for the 38-year-old Yates.
“There’s not a whole lot of teams that can have basically the entire starting rotation go down and still be treading water in first place, holding on and doing what we do,” said Yates, who had a 4.26 ERA in 19 innings heading into Monday. “I think that speaks to the depth and everything that we have. They spend the money and do it like this, because they can, and they want to win. We want to win. And it’s very apparent. The No. 1 goal here is to win a World Series.”
He added: “That’s what I want in this stage of my career.”
Yates said the Padres will always have a place in his heart. He resurrected his career with them as a waiver claim, became an All-Star and saw his family blossom in San Diego.
“I raised my kids here for the first four years of our lives,” Yates said. “I’ve always enjoyed playing here. That’ll never go away. It was a great spot for me and my family. It’ll always be special.”
Tarmac games
The Padres boarded their team charter in Milwaukee on Sunday expecting to land in San Diego by 8 p.m. Instead, they didn’t touch down until close to midnight.
A flat tire on the plane grounded the club for a significant period of time. Players and staff were forced to evacuate while a maintenance worker attempted to complete the repair, which was stalled while waiting for the appropriate parts. The total delay lasted between five and six hours, according to several players.
Fortunately, the buses that had transported the team to the airport remained on site, providing shelter during the wait. While they waited, a handful of players — including Tyler Wade, Gavin Sheets, Jake Cronenworth, Nick Pivetta and Jackson Merrill — ed the time on the tarmac.
First came a game of hacky sack. Then, an improvised round of “bottle cap baseball,” using a water bottle as a bat.
“We made the most of it,” Wade said. “It’s part of the big leagues.”
Notable
- RHP Yu Darvish (elbow) threw an up-and-down bullpen session on Monday afternoon, throwing about 15 pitches in one “inning,” resting and then throwing again. He is building back up after suffering a setback in his recovery following his May 14 rehab assignment with Triple-A El Paso.
- RHP Michael King (shoulder) has not yet progressed past playing light catch sporadically.
Annie Heilbrunn contributed to this report.
