October 2 – Michael King dazzled on the mound, striking out 12 batters over seven shutout innings, leading the San Diego Padres to a 4-0 victory against the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of their National League wild-card series. King allowed only five hits, issued no walks, and retired the last 10 batters he faced in what was his first postseason start. He fell just four strikeouts short of the franchise record set by Kevin Brown in 1998.
“I thought he was fantastic,” Padres manager Mike Shildt commented. “Everything was working. He had a really good sinker with a lot of movement, and his changeup was filthy. The sweeper/slider was also effective. He pitched exceptionally well.”
King, grinning, told MLB Network, “I actually felt like I gave up more hits than I wanted.”
Kyle Higashioka contributed to the scoring with a home run and a sacrifice fly, driving in another run for the fourth-seeded Padres. Meanwhile, Michael Harris II had two hits for the fifth-seeded Braves.
Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday evening in San Diego.
In relief, Padres pitcher Jason Adam struck out three in the eighth inning, navigating a hit, while Robert Suarez allowed a hit in the ninth to close out the game without a save situation. The Braves’ AJ Smith-Shawver (0-1), recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to fill in for injured ace Chris Sale, struggled in his outing, lasting just 1 1/3 innings. He surrendered three runs on four hits, striking out one without issuing any walks.
Luis Arraez opened the game with a single into left field. Fernando Tatis Jr. then made his mark, crushing Smith-Shawver’s first-pitch fastball into the second deck in left field for a 415-foot two-run homer, marking his third career postseason long ball.
“He gave me a pitch I could barrel,” Tatis reflected. “Next thing we knew, it was in the stands.”
In the second inning, Jake Cronenworth was hit by a pitch, followed by a single from Donovan Solano, putting runners on the corners. Higashioka’s sacrifice fly brought Cronenworth home, extending the Padres’ lead to 3-0. Higashioka then added a solo home run in the eighth off Luke Jackson to secure the victory.
Michael King faced some early challenges, giving up a leadoff single to Harris and a two-out single to Matt Olson in the first inning, but he struck out Jorge Soler to end the threat. In the third inning, he again found himself in trouble with two singles, yet he managed to fan Olson to escape.
“I felt like I did a lot of homework beforehand,” King said. “Whenever I found myself in a big situation, I referred back to the scouting report. Knowing their weaknesses gave me confidence to attack.”
Travis d’Arnaud’s two-out double in the fourth was the last hit King allowed. Braves manager Brian Snitker praised King, stating, “He was really good. His sweeper was effective, and his fastball had good velocity. We didn’t score because he did an excellent job. We had some opportunities, but he made pitches when it counted.”
