Fastball

San Diego Padres Ace Puts on Masterclass in Game 1 of National League Wild Card Round

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King had a game that put him in an exclusive category of hurlers in his start against the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of a National League Wild Card Series on Tuesday.

Teren Kowatsch

San Diego Padres pitcher Michael King throws during a playoff game against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday at Petco Park.
San Diego Padres pitcher Michael King throws during a playoff game against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday at Petco Park. / Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
In this story:

The San Diego Padres took care of business against the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of a best-of-three National League Wild Card series on Tuesday.

The Padres prevailed over the Braves 4-0 in front of the San Diego faithful at Petco Park. And even though a lot of the excitement was directed to Fernando Tatis Jr.'s two-run home run in the top of the first, the MVP of the game was starting pitcher Michael King.

King put on a seven-inning masterclass in just his second postseason appearance ever. He was elite on Tuesday and joined a very exclusive list of postseason pitchers in the process.

King allowed no earned runs and just five hits in his seven innings of work. He gave up no free bases and struck out 12 batters in the process.

That was the second-most strikeouts in a single game in postseason history for San Diego.

King was also the fifth pitcher in MLB playoff history to strikeout 10 or more batters without allowing a walk or an earned run. The other four on that list is Logan Webb (2021), Trevor Bauer (2020), Jake Arrieta (2015) and Cliff Lee (2009).

It was just the second postseason appearance for King, with his last coming as a reliever for the New York Yankees in 2020.

King joined another impressive category with it being his first playoff start.

King's 12 fanned batters is the fourth-most in MLB history by a pitcher making their first start in the playoffs. The three above him are Livan Hernandez with 15 strikeouts in 1997, Tim Lincecum with 14 in 2010 and Jacob deGrom with 13 in 2015.

King put on a dominant display in front of Padres fans starved for an NL pennant (last World Series appearance for San Diego was in 1998).

Joe Musgrove will get a chance to pick up where King left off and send the Padres to the National League Divisional Series when he gets the start in Game 2 of the best-of-three at 8:38 p.m. ET (5:38 p.m. PT) on Wednesday at Petco Park. Max Fried will start for Atlanta.

Follow Fastball On SI on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball On SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

Published
Teren Kowatsch
TEREN KOWATSCH

Home/News