Renfroe makes impact on return to the Padres
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SAN DIEGO — Hunter Renfroe's second swing back with the San Diego Padres was a big one.
The rookie hit a three-run home run in his first big league game in a month and Austin Hedges also connected for the Padres, who beat NL wild card leader Arizona 4-2 on Monday night.
The former Mississippi State player drove a 1-1 pitch from lefty Patrick Corbin to straightaway center field with two outs in the first, his 21st. He was demoted to Triple-A El Paso on Aug. 18 to work on his hitting. He was recalled earlier Monday.
"It felt good," Renfroe said. "Obviously it's good to do it in the first at-bat, but obviously to do it in general to help the team win, and to get the win against Arizona, which is a really good club, is special."
Renfroe first came up late last season and had four home runs and 14 RBIs in 11 games. But he struggled enough this season that the Padres sent him down.
"It was humbling," he said. "You go down for a reason. You either grow from it or you fail from it. I wanted to grow from it and become a better player, so I went down there with the mindset that I was going to get better and worked every day."
The Padres were happy to see Renfroe deliver the long ball and knew it was a big reason for the victory over a very good Arizona squad.
"We're just all excited to have him back," San Diego manager Andy Green said. "That three-run home run kind of changed the game at the very beginning."