Fernando Tatis Jr. breaks out of slump with 458-foot home run (Video)

Fernando Tatis Jr. blasted a 458-foot home run for the Padres against the Giants.

Now that’s how you break a slump, Fernando Tatis Jr.

The NL MVP candidate came to the plate on Friday night against the Giants having not hit a home run in 13 appearances.

That off-streak ended with a blast of a homer. It was 458 feet to be exact.

The shot to left field wasn’t just a nice one to get Tatis Jr. out of a slump. It was the second-longest of his career, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.

Fernando Tatis Jr. picked a great time to get his bat to warm up.

Before Friday, Tatis Jr.’s last home run came against the Athletics on Sept. 4. To put the stretch in context, he had his 15 home runs in the first 42 games of the season, with no more than seven games between them.

Home runs aside, Tatis Jr’s batting just wasn’t up to par in September. His batting average across the month is 0.200 after posting an average of 0.313 in July and August. His on-base percentage (0.312) and slugging percentage (0.338) are also down.

The Padres have already clinched a place in the playoffs while the Giants are clinging to the last wildcard spot, giving their regular-season ending series some spice. They will continue the series with games on Saturday and Sunday.

For San Diego, the important thing is building up some momentum for the postseason. Tatis Jr. getting hot is certainly a good sign for the Padres. They will need his bat to carry them in much the same way it did in August when he looked like the favorite to win the NL MVP race.

His candidacy has certainly slipped over the past few weeks, but a few more home runs in the final couple of games of the season wouldn’t be amiss for the player or his club.