Major League Baseball

Trevor Bauer 'all for' Fernando Tatis Jr.'s celebrations in Dodgers-Padres rivalry

Updated Apr. 25, 2021 9:36 p.m. ET

The unwritten rules of baseball are undergoing, well, a bit of a rewrite.

Two of the game's biggest stars made that much clear as the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres renewed their blossoming rivalry with a four-game series this weekend.

Fernando Tatis Jr. stole the show in Saturday's tilt ⁠— though the Dodgers won 5-4 ⁠— with a pair of home runs off reigning NL Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer.

Tatis started the fireworks early, tattooing a Bauer cutter on an 0-1 count to lead off the first inning.

As he rounded the bases, he cupped his right hand over his eye and looked back at the Padres dugout in a not-so-subtle nod to Bauer pitching with one eye closed when these teams met in spring training.

Tatis then deposited another Bauer cutter into the Dodger Stadium outfield seats in the top of the sixth inning.

As the 22-year-old shortstop crossed home plate, he taunted Bauer again.

Fernando Tatis Jr. hits another pair of homers, but Padres fall 5-4 to Dodgers

Fernando Tatis Jr. went 2-for-5 with another two homers, but his San Diego Padres fell 5-4 to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

This time, Tatis mimicked MMA star Conor McGregor's strut, a celebration Bauer is known to employ after important strikeouts.

For more up-to-date news on all things Padres, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

For baseball purists, Tatis' first bit of showboating might have been enough to elicit some old-school justice.

In other words, a Bauer fastball to Tatis' midsection wouldn't have been completely unexpected, based on the "unwritten rules" of the game.

But Bauer is anything but a traditionalist, and he addressed the situation after the game.

To the 30-year-old righty, the game needs more of these kinds of celebrations.

Bauer also said that he thinks pitchers who resort to the beanball are "soft."

"I think that pitchers who have that done to them and react by throwing at people or getting upset and hitting people or whatever ⁠— I think it’s pretty soft," he said. "If you give up a homer, a guy should celebrate it. It’s hard to hit in the big leagues."

Tatis also talked about the celebrations, agreeing that the celebrations can go both ways.

The Padres star has had plenty to celebrate in this series. Not only did he have two homers against Bauer on Saturday, but he also popped a pair against Clayton Kershaw in Friday's 6-1 win for the Friars.

As noted, Bauer and the Dodgers got the last laugh in Saturday's matchup, with a 5-4 win. That gave them a foothold in the four-game series, which stood at 2-1 in favor of the Padres heading into Sunday's capper.

The Bauer-Tatis rivalry spilled onto social media ahead of Sunday's game, with Bauer suggesting that Tatis might have snuck a peek at the signs between the Dodgers pitcher and catcher Will Smith.

Tatis responded with a photo of himself holding a child, with Bauer's face clipped out and superimposed over top.

His caption, translated to English, read: "Quiet, son."

This NL West rivalry has been as captivating as any in recent years, and this year is becoming an all-time great series between adversaries.

Tatis even acknowledged as much, calling it "the biggest rivalry in baseball."

Celebrations and showmanship are usually catalysts for a turn toward benches clearing, but the groundwork has been laid for avoiding going down that road.

If Tatis and Bauer are fine with a bit of taunting, who among the other Dodgers and Padres could rightfully get upset?

The unwritten rules of the game could be changing, and baseball's blooming rivalry is where that's happening.

For more up-to-date news on all things Dodgers, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!