Daniel Camarena gave fans one of the most shocking moments in recent baseball memory. A journeyman pitcher from San Diego, Camarena spent 11 years in the minors before getting called up by the Padres. In only his second big league appearance, he found himself on the mound against Max Scherzer and gave up a two-run homer. The Padres fell behind 8-0, but started clawing back. Tatis homered, Machado was hit, and Scherzer loaded the bases. With two outs, Camarena came up to bat.
Scherzer didn’t want to walk the pitcher, so he challenged him in the zone. Camarena, facing an 0-2 count, stayed locked in. He read the pitch out of Scherzer’s hand, dropped the barrel, and launched it into the seats for a grand slam. The reaction in the stands said it all—his brother broke down in tears, while others went wild. Camarena circled the bases calm and collected, flipped his chain, and went back to work. The Padres went on to win the game, completing a huge comeback.
It was Camarena’s first career hit, and he did it against a three-time Cy Young winner in a critical moment. The call from both the home and away broadcast teams captured the disbelief. It’s not just rare for a pitcher to go deep, but to hit a grand slam in that spot, after spending over a decade in the minors, made it unforgettable.