Padres’ Game 1 Wild Card Win Proves San Diego Won Juan Soto Trade

Sam Garcia | Oct 2, 2024

Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

In the offseason, the Padres made a big transaction with the New York Yankees. In exchange for four-time MLB All-Star Juan Soto and two-time National League Gold Glove winner Trent Grisham, the Padres received catcher Kyle Higashioka and right-handed pitchers Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito and Randy Vásquez.

Despite trading arguably their best player, the Padres have skyrocketed up the standings this season without them. Finishing five games behind the Dodgers for the NL West division title, San Diego found immense success in the second half of the season. Now, the Padres are battling the Atlanta Braves for the second spot in the National League Division Series against the Dodgers. 

The Padres were victorious in Game 1 of the Wild Card series, defeating the Braves 4-0. In front of the largest crowd in Petco Park history, two of the Padres’ new additions shined. 

King made the first postseason start of his career and did not disappoint. The 29-year-old right-handed pitcher struck out 12 batters and kept the Braves off the scoreboard for seven innings. His performance was historic, making King the first pitcher in MLB history to strike out 12 batters while allowing no runs in a career-first postseason start.  

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Higashioka earned the Padres’ fourth and final run of their dominant victory to open the Wild Card series. The San Diego catcher launched a home run, which was his first since Aug. 28. 

In New York, Soto has had one of the best seasons of his career. Soto earned his fourth MLB All-Star selection and the first of his career in the American League. The four-time NL Silver Slugger ranked in the top 10 of the AL for multiple batting metrics, including runs (128), home runs (41), batting average (.288), on-base percentage (.419), slugging percentage (.569), OPS (.988), total bases (328), and RBIs (109).

Alongside Soto in New York, Grisham is the Yankees' second most-used center fielder, behind Aaron Judge. Grisham has made 52 starts at the position this season, which is significantly lower than the 142 starts he made with the Padres last season.

Both King and Higashioka were acquired in the Soto-Grisham trade. Having to fill the shoes of a future Baseball Hall of Famer like Soto comes with high pressure and expectations. But, the pair’s performance on Tuesday silenced some doubt about whether the Padres made a smart decision.