With the season hanging by a thread and Mason Miller unavailable, Michael King stepped into the biggest relief spot of San Diego’s year and helped push the Padres to a 4-3 win over the Brewers in Game 3 of the NLDS.
It was another tight one between these teams - the third one-run game of the series - but this time the Padres were the ones walking away with the result they needed to keep the season alive after back-to-back painful losses.
The bullpen once again carried a heavy load, though San Diego also got hit with some unexpected news before first pitch when Miller was placed on the paternity list as he and his wife are expecting their first child. That left Craig Stammen to piece together the late innings without his closer, and after the Game 2 decision to use Miller in a similar spot ended in a Brewers walk-off, Stammen turned to a different arm for the final six outs.
That arm was King, who had started Game 1. According to Stammen, King was the one who went to him and said he could pitch. Stammen said King even told him he could go again the next day, which would have been Game 4, and potentially Game 5 after that.
King delivered exactly what San Diego needed. He worked two innings, gave up one hit and two walks, threw 40 pitches and finished the game with a double play.
There was also a bit of history attached to the outing. What would normally have been King’s regular bullpen session ended up happening in a live game, meaning he would still be on normal rest if the Padres need him again in a potential Game 5.
King’s performance drew plenty of attention, and for good reason. In Game 2, he had already gone five innings, allowing one run and three hits before coming out.
The Padres signed King to a three-year, $75 million deal last offseason, with options attached, and he could be headed for an even bigger payday if his run in San Diego keeps going the way it has this season.
Game 4 is set for Wednesday night, and if King gets the ball again, that would make for quite the next chapter.
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