In a stellar display of pitching prowess, Michael King delivered an exceptional performance in his inaugural postseason start, mirroring the brilliance of his first full season as a starting pitcher. The Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. electrified the crowd with a home run in his first playoff at-bat, igniting fervor among the 47,647 fans at Petco Park. Meanwhile, Kyle Higashioka contributed significantly, driving in runs with a timely sacrifice fly and a late-game homer.
The Padres secured a decisive 4-0 victory over the Braves in Game 1 of the National League wild-card series, effectively capitalizing on the Braves’ vulnerabilities. They struck early against a pitcher recently elevated from the minors, and King, their most reliable arm, amassed an impressive number of strikeouts, paving the way for an untroubled triumph.
Jurickson Profar encapsulated the team’s mindset: “Every game is crucial, regardless of the circumstances. That’s a squad that clinched the World Series just a couple of years ago. They are seasoned competitors, and I don’t believe anything is simply handed over. They came prepared to battle, but we outperformed them today. Michael executed brilliantly, ‘Tati’ made a significant impact, and Higashioka delivered a crucial swing. We maintained our rhythm.”
Tatis’ two-run homer in the first inning sent the crowd into a euphoric frenzy, waving gold towels in unison. The atmosphere inside Petco Park, the largest ever witnessed there, resonated with exuberance for each of King’s five strikeouts to close innings, culminating in thunderous applause as he exited the field after the seventh, having struck out a total of twelve batters. Remarkably, King etched his name into the annals of postseason history as the first pitcher to record twelve strikeouts across seven scoreless innings in his playoff debut. He joins an exclusive club, becoming just the third pitcher in Padres history to achieve such a feat, following the illustrious Kevin Brown and Joe Musgrove.
As the Padres gear up for Game 2, Musgrove is set to take the mound, presenting an opportunity for the team to advance to the National League Division Series, where they would face off against the formidable Dodgers. “Securing a 1-0 lead in a three-game series is monumental,” King remarked. “That was our objective, and we accomplished it. We’ve got our ace, Joe, on the mound tomorrow, and I hold immense confidence in our chances.”
The stakes were palpably high for the Padres, as this was a game they could not afford to lose. Such favorable setups are rare in postseason play. The Braves had just clinched their playoff berth after a demanding doubleheader against the Mets, and their late-night arrival in San Diego was marked by the absence of Chris Sale, the presumed NL Cy Young frontrunner, sidelined with back spasms. This confluence of factors left the Braves grappling for stability, ultimately leading to the promotion of AJ Smith-Shawver, a 21-year-old right-hander who had fluctuated between Triple-A and the major leagues.
Smith-Shawver’s outing was short-lived; he managed just four outs before departing with the Padres leading 3-0 in the second inning. Following Luis Arraez’s single to commence the first inning, Tatis wasted no time, launching a majestic home run on the very first pitch he encountered—a 94 mph fastball delivered right down the middle. “I was anticipating a swing before he even released the pitch,” Tatis divulged. “I was looking for my fastball, and he left it in my wheelhouse, leading to some exceptional results.”
The ball rocketed off Tatis’ bat at an astonishing 112.8 mph, soaring 154 feet into the air and a projected 415 feet into the second tier beyond left field. “The ball appeared to diminish in size mid-flight; I genuinely thought it might leave the stadium,” Higashioka remarked. “It seemed to be ascending too high, but I believed it might clear the scoreboard.”
Despite a commendable performance in the Padres’ wild-card series against the Cardinals back in 2020, where Tatis batted 4-for-11, the absence of fans due to COVID restrictions dampened the experience. The Padres tacked on another run when Jake Cronenworth was plunked by the first pitch of the second inning, followed by Donovan Solano’s single, which advanced Cronenworth to third base. Higashioka’s sacrifice fly subsequently added to the tally.
With Smith-Shawver’s exit, left-hander Aaron Bummer took over on the mound. “Chris Sale would have undoubtedly been the pitcher of choice for their team,” Xander Bogaerts noted. “But with him unavailable, they had to adapt. We capitalized on that opportunity… What a stellar way to commence this series; it’s critical in this context.”
Following Smith-Shawver’s departure, the Padres faced a prolonged stretch of stagnation, accumulating no hits and managing only a solitary baserunner until Higashioka’s homer off Luke Jackson in the eighth inning. Arraez’s grounder concluded the second inning with a double play, and although Tatis was walked to start the third, Bummer escaped that frame with a flyout by Profar and a double-play grounder from Manny Machado.
At that juncture, Bummer had thrown 12 pitches, and despite an eight-pitch confrontation with Jackson Merrill, he concluded the third inning having thrown a total of 28 pitches. This respite proved invaluable for the beleaguered Braves pitching staff, who had extensively utilized their bullpen the previous day, with their top relievers engaged in both games against the Mets. Ultimately, they were compelled to summon just two additional pitchers for Tuesday’s encounter.