SAN DIEGO — The Atlanta Braves began their new season the same way they ended the last one, losing to the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
This time, not even having Chris Sale as their starter on the mound was enough to save the Braves when the bullpen faltered on opening day.
Pinch-hitter Gavin Sheets’ tying home run kicked off the Padres’ four-run rally in the seventh inning, Jackson Merrill drove in four runs, and San Diego beat Atlanta 7-4 in a back-and-forth affair Thursday afternoon as the 2025 regular season began for both teams.
Fernando Tatís Jr. had three hits for San Diego, and Luis Arraez and Manny Machado added seventh-inning RBIs in a rematch of last year’s best-of-three series the Padres swept in the wild-card round of the MLB playoffs.
Ozzie Albies hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs for the Braves, who also got a home run from Austin Riley.
Sale yielded three runs and six hits in five innings for Atlanta, with the left-hander striking out seven batters in the sixth opening day start of his MLB career but his first for the Braves. He won a National League pitching triple crown last season, his first for the Braves, when he was also the NL’s winner of the Cy Young Award and the comeback player of the year honor.
Sale, who turns 36 on Sunday, also stood out in 2024 by staying healthy after injuries seriously limited him in his final seasons with the Boston Red Sox. However, back spasms led to him being unavailable at the end of the regular season last year as Atlanta scratched out a wild-card berth, and he was left off the playoff roster when the Braves visited San Diego.
San Diego starter Michael King couldn’t escape the third inning Thursday, allowing three runs on four hits and four walks.
Jurickson Profar got a standing ovation before his leadoff single for Atlanta. Profar spent parts of the past five seasons in San Diego, and the 30-year-old outfielder from Curacao had the best year of his career in 2024 with 24 homers and 85 RBIs for the Padres before signing with Atlanta in January.
Tatís and Machado scored on a first-inning single by Merrill, last season’s NL rookie of the year.
Pinch-runner Jason Heyward scored the go-ahead run on Arraez’s flyout three batters after Sheets’ homer. Machado then drove in Tatís with a double, stole third and scored on Merrill’s short flyout.
Winning pitcher Wandy Peralta (1-0) threw one pitch for San Diego. Robert Suarez allowed two baserunners before securing the save.
Sheets connected off Héctor Neris (0-1) after San Diego had managed one baserunner in the previous three innings. Sheets surprisingly made San Diego’s roster after signing a minor-league deal last month.
Top prospect Drake Baldwin became the Braves’ first starting catcher to make his MLB debut on opening day since 1951.
The four-game series continues Friday night, when the scheduled starting pitchers are right-handers: Atlanta-area native Dylan Cease gets the ball for the Padres, while the Braves will counter with Reynaldo Lopez.