The best new rivalry in MLB boiled over with accusations of sign stealing, a barrage of home runs, and a Conor McGregor strut

• Fernando Tatis Jr. hit five home runs in three games against the Dodgers over the weekend.
• On Saturday Tatis and Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer traded barbs and celebrations against each other.
• Tatis' on-field flair makes him one of the most compelling players in the sport.

Major League Baseball has been searching for its next great rivalry for years, and over the weekend, the Dodgers and Padres delivered it.

Through three games, the NL West foes fought back and forth with a tension that felt postseason-esque, with Padres shortstop and MVP candidate Fernando Tatis Jr. and Dodgers pitcher and reigning Cy Young-winner Trevor Bauer leading the charge.

Tatis had himself a weekend, smacking five home runs over three days as the leading spark of the Padres offense. On Saturday, he became the first player since Barry Bonds to hit two home runs in back-to-back games against the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

Those two pairs of home runs came against Dodgers aces Clayton Kershaw and Trevor Bauer, making Tatis's incredible feat of hitting all the more astounding.

As he rounded the bases against Bauer on Saturday, Tatis showed a bit of flair with two thinly-veiled shots at the Dodgers pitcher.

First, Tatis covered one of his eyes as he opened the night with a lead-off home run, a nod to Bauer pitching against the Padres with one eye closed during spring training.

Then on his second home run of the night, Tatis broke out the McGregor strut as he crossed home plate, stealing yet another of Bauer's celebrations.

Bauer didn't leave the game without some flair of his own. After striking out Eric Hosmer with a pitch in the dirt, Bauer sheathed an invisible sword on the mound.

After the game, Bauer said he didn't mind Tatis spicing up his home runs.

"I like it," Bauer said. "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. If you give up a homer, the guy should celebrate it. It's hard to hit in the big leagues.

"So, I'm all for it. And I think it's important that the game moves in that direction, and we stop throwing at people because they celebrated having some success on the field."

On Twitter, Bauer and Tatis continued their back-and-forth. Bauer retweeted a video and suggested that Tatis had been stealing signs during one of his trips to the plate. Tatis replied, "Tranquilo hijo," or "relax kid," with a delightfully photoshopped image.

Tatis is one of the most exciting players in all of baseball right now, and his hot weekend against the Dodgers shows how much he can contribute to a winning team. But his antics and ongoing back-and-forth with Bauer show how important he could be to the sport as a whole.

Baseball has been looking for a lightning rod, and right now, Tatis is a player you can't look away from.